The "Freedom Proclamation," commonly known as the Emancipation Proclamation, was an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. It declared the freedom of all enslaved people in the Confederate states that were in rebellion against the Union during the American Civil War. This proclamation aimed to weaken the Confederacy and encourage enslaved individuals to escape or join the Union Army. While the Freedom Proclamation did not immediately free all enslaved people, it marked a significant turning point in the war and laid the groundwork for the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States. The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, ultimately abolished slavery nationwide.