On Jan. 1, 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. But since the war was still raging, it didn't actually free anyone. But the U.S. govt. was working on this. In 1864, Republican leaders in Congress prepared an amendment to abolish slavery in the U.S. In 1865, the 13th Amendment was passed and ratified. The Emancipation Proclamation permitted African Americans to join the Union Army. When the war began, 3.5 million slaves comprised 30% of the South's population. By the end of the war, 1/6 of fled to areas controlled by the Union Army. Interestingly, Robert E. Lee supported African Americans joining his ranks & he believed that those who fought should be freed. In the North, African Americans were permitted to serve in the navy before the they were allowed in the army. African Americans who escaped slavery proved to be especially useful as guides & spies because of their knowledge of the South. The great Harriet Tubman repeatedly spied behind Confederate lines. By the end of the war, nearly 200,000 African Americans served in the Union forces & 37,000 lost their lives. One of the most famous African American regimens was the 54th Massachusetts. We also covered the lives of soldiers, women in the war, war and the economy and the end of the Civil War.