What did the Emancipation Proclamation accomplish?

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, primarily accomplished the emancipation of enslaved people in the Confederate states. This executive order declared that all slaves in states or designated parts of states that were in rebellion against the United States would be forever free. The significance of this proclamation lies in its transformative impact on the Civil War, turning it into a moral fight against slavery and allowing for the recruitment of African American soldiers into the Union Army, which bolstered the Union's numbers and resolve.

While the proclamation did not immediately free all enslaved individuals in the United States, it set the stage for the eventual abolition of slavery, as it indicated the federal government's intention to eradicate the institution entirely. The Thirteenth Amendment, passed later in 1865, formalized this to ensure freedom for all enslaved people across the country. The other options listed do not reflect the outcomes of the Emancipation Proclamation, making the correct choice clear.