lincoln personally opposed slavery, but he insisted that the civil war was being fought to preserve the union, not abolish slavery. the emancipation proclamation, issued in january 1863, was lincoln's official declaration of freedom, or emancipation, for slaves in the confederacy. it was meant to satisfy abolitionists who pressured lincoln to make ending slavery a goal of the war. it was also a strategic move to help the north win the war—the south had an advantage, since the confederates could force slaves to help the war effort.
ultimately, the document was more a symbolic than an actual end to slavery, since the union could not force the rebellious southern states to free slaves, and it did not pertain to slaves in border states loyal to the union, such as maryland and kentucky. the thirteenth amendment to the constitution freed the remaining slaves.
(see: abraham lincoln)
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