The Emancipation Proclamation was a landmark executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. It declared that all enslaved people in the Confederate states were to be set free. While it did not immediately end slavery in the United States, as it exempted border states and regions under Union control, the Emancipation Proclamation was a significant step towards the abolition of slavery.

For African Americans, the Emancipation Proclamation symbolized a new era of freedom and hope. It paved the way for the eventual ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865, which formally abolished slavery nationwide.

The Emancipation Proclamation is revered in Black history as a critical milestone in the fight for equality and justice. It marked the beginning of the end of legalized slavery in the United States and laid the foundation for the civil rights movement that would follow in the decades to come.