The Emancipation Proclamation is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It was an executive order that was issued by President Abraham Lincoln to go into effect on January 1, 1863. While it did not make slavery illegal and there was criticism surrounding the document, its existence brought on the abolition of slavery in 1865.
The Emancipation Proclamation is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. The 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawed slavery when it was ratified in December of 1865.