On July 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln read the preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation to his Cabinet. This was a pivotal moment in American history. The Emancipation Proclamation, which would later be issued on January 1, 1863, declared that all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory were to be set free. Lincoln’s decision to issue the proclamation was influenced by various factors, including military necessity during the Civil War and the growing abolitionist movement. While it didn’t immediately free any enslaved people, it was a significant step toward ending slavery and altering the course of the war and the nation’s future.
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