The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, was a landmark executive order that declared the freedom of all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory. While it did not immediately free all slaves, it was a crucial turning point in the Civil War and fundamentally changed the character of the conflict. The proclamation allowed for the enlistment of African American soldiers into the Union Army, bolstering its ranks and contributing to the Union's eventual victory. Moreover, it signaled a shift in the war's purpose from merely preserving the Union to also promoting human rights and equality. The Emancipation Proclamation laid the groundwork for the eventual passage of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States.