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The Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves was issued by President Abraham Lincoln and became effective on January 1, 1863. It continues to this day to be a symbol of equality and social justice.

In 1863, the United States was entering its third year of the Civil War. Lincoln timed the Emancipation Proclamation to make sure that it had a positive effect on the Union's war efforts.

Although only 50,000 of 4,000,000 slaves were freed immediately, the Proclamation changed the Civil War to be more of a fight to end slavery.

The order declared that all persons held as slaves within the rebel states (the Confederate States not under Union control) are, and henceforward shall be free. For the rest of the states, the slaves would not be free until the Union was able to defeat the Confederacy.

The Emancipation Proclamation also declared that black men could join the Union forces. Almost 200,000 African Americans fought for the Union, helping to win the war and free more slaves as they marched through the South.

Another way that Lincoln's Proclamation helped the Union's war efforts was to discourage anti-slavery nations such as Britain and France from helping the Confederacy.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves, it did not abolish slavery. It took a few more years for Congress to pass the Thirteenth Amendment, making slavery illegal everywhere in the United States. The Thirteenth Amendment became part of the Constitution in late 1865, eight months after Lincoln was assassinated.

When did the Emancipation Proclamation come into effect?
1863
1865
1866
1863 When was The Thirteenth Amendment passed into law?
1863
1865
1871
1865 Which president gave the order for the Emancipation Proclamation?
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln About how many slaves were immediately set free by the Proclamation?
50,000
200,000
4,000,000
50,000 About how many black soldiers fought for the Union during the Civil War?
50,000
200,000
4,000,000
200,000 Britain and France were anti-slavery nations.
True
False
It doesn't say in the story.
True The Emancipation Proclamation immediately freed all the slaves in the United States.
True
False
It doesn't say in the story.
False The Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for which constitutional amendment that outlawed slavery in the United States?
The Fifth Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment Which of these best describes the Emancipation Proclamation?
a new law issued by Congress that said slavery was illegal in the North
a speech given by Abraham Lincoln asking for the Civil War to end
an executive order from Abraham Lincoln that led to the freedom of millions of slaves
an executive order from Abraham Lincoln that led to the freedom of millions of slaves

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