The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 was a crucial document that declared the freedom of all enslaved people in rebel states during the American Civil War. Issued by President Abraham Lincoln, it was a strategic wartime measure aimed at weakening the Confederacy. While it did not immediately free all enslaved people, it transformed the character of the war, allowing for African Americans to enlist in the United States Army. It also laid the groundwork for future civil rights advancements.