LAD #20: The Emancipation Proclamation

On New Year's Day, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  This monumental declaration abolished slavery in the rebelling south, except for the bumper states, officially freeing all states.  This proclamation explains that, as commander-in-chief, Lincoln would use the military to make sure these slaves were freed if necessary.  He tells the slaves not to act out in violence, unless in self-defense, and asks them to join the military if they so choose.  He ends this proclamation justifying these actions with the Constitution and the favor of God.