The important document that proclaimed freedom for enslaved persons in the Confederate states was the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. Although it did not immediately free all enslaved individuals, it declared that all slaves in states still in rebellion against the Union were to be set free. This act redefined the purpose of the Civil War, framing it as a struggle not just for the Union, but also for human freedom. It also allowed for the enlistment of African American soldiers in the Union Army, contributing to the war effort.