define emancipation proclamation
noun. A replica of the Emancipation Proclamation. A replica of the Emancipation Proclamation. The definition of the Emancipation Proclamation is an order issued by President Lincoln in 1862 to free the slaves effective January 1, 1863. An example of the Emancipation Proclamation is the order that freed 3.1 million enslaved people when it was issued in the U.S. in 1863.