The famous American president known for the Emancipation Proclamation is Abraham Lincoln. Issued in 1863, this executive order declared the freedom of all enslaved people in Confederate territory. Lincoln viewed the proclamation as both a moral imperative and a strategic wartime measure to weaken the Confederacy. While it did not immediately free all enslaved individuals, it laid the groundwork for the eventual abolition of slavery nationwide with the ratification of the 13th Amendment. Lincoln's actions redefined the war's purpose, aligning it with a wider quest for human rights.