"All persons held as slaves within any State... in rebellion against the United States, shall be... thenceforward, and forever free." — Emancipation Proclamation, 1863
A historian reading the figure could best argue that the proclamation was significant primarily because it:
- Acheck_circle
Transformed Union war aims into a moral crusade against slavery and authorized Black enlistment, even though it freed few enslaved people immediately
- B
Abolished slavery throughout the United States
- C
Granted citizenship to formerly enslaved people
- D
Required all Confederate soldiers to surrender
Explanation
Because the proclamation excluded loyal slave states and Union-held territory, its immediate practical effect was limited; its lasting significance was redefining the war's purpose and opening the army to nearly 200,000 Black soldiers.