The Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation is a document that is of a particular relevance to the history of the emancipation of slaves in the United States. It was signed by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863 ( The Emancipation Proclamation , 2019). The document states that “the people… in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free” (as cited in On this day , 2021). Thus, the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in 10 states outside the control of the Union forces ( On this day , 2021). In the rest of the states and areas that did not rebel against the Union, slavery remained legal. The complete emancipation of slaves in all states would require changes to the Constitution, which was impossible during the Civil War. Although the document is controversial, it became the basis for changing the course of the war. The most important point in the Emancipation Proclamation was that the freed slaves were able to join the Union army ( The Emancipation Proclamation , 2019). Thus, the document confirmed that the Civil War is an act of liberation and the advancement of the Union serves this purpose. It is one of the most significant documents in the history of the United States, as it laid the foundation of concepts of freedom and equality. The Freedmen’s Bureau After the emancipation of slaves in the United States began, many Blacks faced serious challenges. The Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen and Refugees was created to support freed slaves, including the provision of land, clothing, food, and medical services. The act also “established schools, supervised contracts between freedmen and employers, and managed confiscated or abandoned lands” (Freedmen’s Bureau Acts, n.d). The Bureau existed during the last year of the Civil War and another year after its end. The slaves freed after the adoption of the Emancipation Proclamation did not have a livelihood or land, and many also lost contact with their families. The Bureau helped such people adapt to the new conditions, providing education, assisting in labor contracts and disputes, and, with less success, working on redistribution of land. The Bureau faced many difficulties in the future, and its continuation was not approved by the Senate. However, this act is of key importance to the history of the United States, as it allowed many freed slaves to integrate into society. The social support provided by the Bureau’s agents not only to Blacks but also to the impoverished White people during the Civil War was significant in restoring the nation. 13th-15th Amendments A number of amendments to the Constitution after the end of the Civil War were aimed at racial restoration. This process assumes that Blacks who were former slaves were socially and politically integrated into society and expanded their rights as US citizens. The 13th Amendment was ratified in 1864, a few months after the end of the war ( American history , n.d). It abolished slavery “within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” ( Abolition of slavery , n.d). Thus, this Amendment granted freedom to all Blacks in the United States, socially equating them with Whites. It is the most significant in