The Emancipation Proclamation is notable for accomplishing which of the following?

The Emancipation Proclamation is notable for accomplishing which of the following?

• A. Ending slavery nationwide
• B. Freeing enslaved people in border states
• C. Freeing millions of enslaved people in Confederate states during the Civil War
• D. Ending the Civil War

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that the Emancipation Proclamation reframed the Civil War as a fight against slavery and, in practice, declared freedom for enslaved people in areas of the country that were in rebellion. It announced freedom for those in Confederate-held territories as the Union advanced. It did not apply to enslaved people in border slave states that remained loyal to the Union, and it did not end slavery nationwide or end the Civil War by itself. Its real significance was shifting the war’s purpose toward abolition and paving the way for future abolition measures, including allowing Black soldiers to enlist and setting up the path to the 13th Amendment. For these reasons, it’s most accurate to say it freed enslaved people in Confederate states during the Civil War.

The key idea is that the Emancipation Proclamation reframed the Civil War as a fight against slavery and, in practice, declared freedom for enslaved people in areas of the country that were in rebellion. It announced freedom for those in Confederate-held territories as the Union advanced. It did not apply to enslaved people in border slave states that remained loyal to the Union, and it did not end slavery nationwide or end the Civil War by itself. Its real significance was shifting the war’s purpose toward abolition and paving the way for future abolition measures, including allowing Black soldiers to enlist and setting up the path to the 13th Amendment. For these reasons, it’s most accurate to say it freed enslaved people in Confederate states during the Civil War.