Proclamation
of Emancipation
(Chicago Historical Society)
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Issued
on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation transformed the character
of the Civil War by making the destruction of slavery an object of the
Union war effort.
It also authorized the enlistment of African Americans in the Union armed
forces. By placing slavery on the road to complete abolition, it made
a postwar reconstruction of southern society inevitable.
Read
the Emancipation Proclamation
Learn
more about the Emanicipation Proclamation
Copyright
2003