FALSE. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared freedom for slaves in Confederate states during the American Civil War. However, it did not immediately free all slaves in the United States. The proclamation only applied to Confederate states that were in rebellion at the time and did not cover border states or areas under Union control. Slavery was officially abolished with the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution in December 1865.
