Lincoln Proclaims Freedom: Emancipation Changes War
Lincoln had been trying to time this for months. He told his cabinet about the preliminary proclamation in July 1862 — Secretary of State Seward convinced him to wait for a Union military victory, so it didn't look like desperation. He waited through seven weeks of bad news. Then Antietam, on September 17, gave him just enough. Five days later, on September 22, he issued the warning: end the rebellion by January 1 or lose your enslaved people. None of the Confederate states called it anything other than a threat. None of them surrendered.
September 22, 1862
164 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on September 22
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