The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was written by Abraham Lincoln in 1862. The proclamation officially freed and gave rights to the confederate slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation stated that "...all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." Unfortunately the proclamation did not have an immediate effect. Communication was very limited, so many people were unaware of the drastic change Lincoln had made. After waiting patiently for so long, the Emancipation Proclamtion went into effect on January 1, 1863. African Americans celebrated by praying, singing, and giving thanks. The North finally had what they had been fighting for, but the end of slavery had badly crippled the southerners' economy.