Lincoln is known as one of the most eloquent presidents in U.S. history. What did Lincoln's "Emancipation Proclamation" do?

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that became known as the "Emancipation Proclamation". This was nearly three years into the war. Lincoln used the speech to proclaim "that all persons held as slaves" within the states that had seceded "are, and henceforward shall be free." It was this statement that inspired many to fight for freedom, including black men who, until then, had not been accepted into the Union army.

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