The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, achieved the immediate goal of freeing enslaved people in Confederate-held territory. Although it did not immediately free all enslaved individuals, it was a crucial step towards the abolition of slavery in the United States. The proclamation also allowed for the enlistment of Black soldiers in the Union Army, bolstering its numbers and emphasizing the fight against slavery as a central goal of the Civil War. While the Proclamation itself didn't end slavery, it set the stage for the eventual passage of the 13th Amendment.