The emancipation proclamation was a huge turning point for slaves in the South. The emancipation proclamation was an executive order by the president at the time, Abraham Lincoln, declaring that all slaves in the south were free once they hit the north, as during that time was the north/south divide. This consisted of many slaves migrating to the north and eventually all slaves became free. However, it is important to remember that this was not a law enacted by Congress, but an executive order by Lincoln as he was president of the army as well.