The Emancipation Proclamation was the famous document signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It declared the freedom of all enslaved people in the Confederate states, allowing for the enlistment of African American soldiers into the Union Army. However, it did not immediately free all enslaved people, as it applied specifically to areas in rebellion against the Union. The Proclamation marked a significant shift in the Civil War's objectives, transforming it from a fight to preserve the Union into a battle for freedom. It paved the way for the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States.