Final answer:
The Emancipation Proclamation was a document signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declaring that enslaved people in the Confederate states would be freed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Emancipation Proclamation was a document signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. It declared that all people who were held as slaves within the Confederate states that were in rebellion against the United States would be freed. However, it did not immediately free all the enslaved people, as the Union army's presence was required to enforce the proclamation.
Despite its limitations, the Emancipation Proclamation was a significant step towards ending slavery and changing the character of the United States. It shifted the objective of the Civil War towards emancipation and ultimately paved the way for the abolition of slavery.