The U.S. president associated with the Emancipation Proclamation is Abraham Lincoln. Issued on January 1, 1863, this landmark executive order declared the freedom of all enslaved individuals in Confederate-held territory, aligning war efforts with the cause of abolition. Lincoln's proclamation did not immediately free all slaves but signified a crucial shift in the American Civil War, transforming it from a fight to preserve the Union into a conflict aimed at achieving freedom for all. The proclamation also allowed for the enlistment of African American soldiers in the Union Army.