The Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation was a symbolic statement that said the slaves were free in the South.

The Emancipation Proclamation was a symbolic statement. Since the South no longer took orders from President Lincoln, it really didn’t do anything to free the slaves in the South. President Lincoln was able to issue the Emancipation Proclamation because it was viewed as a military action that weakened the South. He couldn’t issue the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect in the North because slaves were considered property, and the Constitution protected people’s property. As a result, the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free the slaves anywhere. It did show the Europeans, who might have considered supporting the South, that the United States was serious about ending slavery.

The Thirteenth Amendment banned slavery throughout the United States. When the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified, the slaves were free and slavery ended. The Thirteenth Amendment accomplished much more, regarding freeing the slaves, than the Emancipation Proclamation did.