Why did Abraham Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation?

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Lincoln during the Civil War so that slaves would be freed. The only slaves that were affected by this were the ones in rebellious states, not the ones in border states. As a result of this important document, Europe was less likely to help the South in their battle. Lincoln also chose to issue this document at a key time: after the victory at the battle of Antietam, so that the public would be in a good mood.

There were several reasons that Lincoln announced and implemented the Emancipation Proclamation at the end of 1862,  early 1863. His basic goal was to turn the war from a political focus to a morally based focus. First, Lincoln was in a difficult situation, militarily. The North had lost most of the battles that had been fought, and many Northerners were beginning to grumble about the war. Lincoln hoped that the change to a moral focus on slavery would cement Northern support. In addition, several European countries, including England and France, were considering formal recognition of the Confederacy. Lincoln correctly believed that the shift to a moral focus on slavery would prevent that recognition. Thirdly, Lincoln hoped that the promise of freedom would cause revolts among Southern slaves and lead them to support the Northern armies. Finally, Lincoln, himself, had come to believe personally that freeing the slaves was the right thing to do. The move was risky on his part because he could have easily pushed the border states into joining the Confederate cause, which is why the Proclamation only frees the slaves in rebellious territory. However, while the Proclamation did become a campaign issue in the 1864 elections, it did exactly what Lincoln had hoped, changed the war from a political conflict into a moral struggle which needed to be fought to the end.

Why did Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation?

Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. By 1863, ending slavery was a much more important goal for the North. By issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln was sending a message to the world that the United States was against slavery and wanted to end it. This action also reduced the likelihood that European countries might help the South since many European countries had already ended slavery. Lincoln needed to wait until 1863 to issue this statement because states in the North that had slavery might have joined the South if he issued it earlier. However, by 1863, the mood in the North had changed, and the North was now ready to acknowledge that the Civil War also was about ending slavery.

This action hurt the South, at least in theory. While the South ignored the Emancipation Proclamation, it gave hope to the slaves that slavery would end in the United States once the war ended. Thus, slaves would be less willing to actively help the South in its fight against the North and might try to escape to the North to help the Union army.