Abraham Lincoln issued preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

On September 22, 1862, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. This document declared that all enslaved people in Confederate states in rebellion would be freed as of January 1, 1863, provided those states ended fighting and rejoined the Union.

The proclamation provided a legal framework for emancipation as Union forces gained control of Confederate territories and allowed formerly enslaved people to join the United States military. This action shifted the objectives of the American Civil War to include the abolition of slavery alongside the preservation of the Union. The eventual permanent abolition of slavery in the United States was secured through the 13th Amendment, which was approved by Congress in 1865.