The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, was significant during the Civil War as it declared all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory to be free. While it did not immediately free any enslaved individuals, it transformed the war's purpose, explicitly linking the fight for Union to the fight against slavery. This shift galvanized abolitionist efforts and allowed for the enlistment of Black soldiers into the Union Army, strengthening its numbers. The Proclamation set the stage for the eventual passage of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery throughout the United States.