What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
The Emancipation Proclamation was a step, not the first step, and not the last, toward freeing the slaves. Apparently, it was a statement of purpose, why we are fighting, and what we plan to do when the fighting is over. The South broke away for a number of reasons, including slavery. The North fought to get them back. The Proclamation was a statement that the division between the North and South was caused largely by slavery. As such it was an important document. In 1865, Congress ratified the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which did abolish slavery.
