“And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God.”
Abraham Lincoln
Emancipation Proclamation (Primary source)
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the American Civil War, declaring that all persons held as slaves within the states and parts of states then in rebellion against the United States “are, and henceforward shall be free.” The document took effect on January 1, 1863, after Lincoln had first announced a preliminary version on September 22, 1862, giving the Confederate states an opportunity to return to the Union before emancipation became effective.
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