Abraham Lincoln issued a document called the Emancipation Proclamation that stated; as of January 1, 1863 all slaves in the confederacy would be freed. This did not affect slaves held in Border States and the confederacy, of course, ignored it. Rebelling states were not under union control; therefore no slaves actually gained freedom on Jan. 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation effected many groups and changed the character of the war. The Emancipation Proclamation changed the direction of the union …showed first 75 words of 392 total…

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