What was the main purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation?

The main purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation was to free enslaved people in Confederate states. Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, the proclamation declared that all enslaved individuals in the rebelling states were to be set free. Although it did not immediately free all enslaved people in the United States, it was a significant step towards abolition and fundamentally changed the character of the Civil War, adding a moral imperative to the Union war effort.

This action aimed not only to liberate enslaved individuals but also to undermine the Confederate economy and bolster Union forces by allowing Black men to join the military. By officially tying the act of freeing enslaved people to the war aims of the Union, the Emancipation Proclamation aligned the battle for freedom with the Union's fight for preservation. Thus, it redefined the war from a struggle for national unity to a fight for human rights, indicating a broader commitment to ending slavery across the nation.

The other choices do not accurately reflect the primary intent of the Emancipation Proclamation. While it did contribute to the eventual citizenship recognition of formerly enslaved individuals, that was not its central purpose. It also did not directly aim to end the Civil War or promote economic aid