The Emancipation Proclamation

This historic wartime proclamation announces a sweeping change in the legal status of enslaved people held in areas still in rebellion against the United States. Issued on January 1, 1863, it identifies the states and regions covered, while listing exceptions where federal authority was already established or Union representation existed.

Written in formal constitutional and military language, the document presents emancipation as both an act of justice and a necessary measure to suppress the rebellion. It promises federal recognition and protection of freedom, encourages formerly enslaved people to work for wages when permitted, and opens the way for their service in the Union’s armed forces. This concise primary source offers listeners a direct look at one of the Civil War’s most consequential declarations and at the government’s evolving approach to slavery, military power, and citizenship.