Why was the immediate impact of the emancipation proclamation limited?
My answer: The impact was limited because most of the slaves that Lincoln intended to liberate lived in areas distant from the Union troops that could enforce his proclamation?
Yep.
That is partially correct. The immediate impact of the Emancipation Proclamation was indeed limited for a few reasons. One of the main reasons is that the Emancipation Proclamation only applied to Confederate states that were still in rebellion against the Union. It did not free slaves in border states that remained loyal to the Union or in areas of Confederate states that had already come under Union control.
So, while the Emancipation Proclamation declared the enslaved people in Confederate-held territory to be free, it was not immediately enforceable in those areas because Union control was limited. In fact, the proclamation relied on Union military success to actually enforce the freedom of slaves in those regions.
Additionally, the Emancipation Proclamation also faced resistance and defiance from many slaveholders who refused to accept it or release their slaves. The proclamation did not have the power to physically free slaves on its own; it required Union troops to enforce it and ensure that slaves were emancipated. Therefore, without widespread Union control and active enforcement, the impact of the proclamation remained limited in the immediate aftermath.