Abolition unfolded as a gradual process, rather than a singular moment. One of the most important steps in the process was Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. This declaration marked a pivotal point by targeting slavery’s end as a Union war goal, though it did not immediately free all enslaved people.

Lincoln did not align himself with the abolitionist movement at first. His public position during the election of 1860 was to stop the expansion of slavery, not to immediately end the institution. Even so, the South, fearing the extinction of slavery, saw Lincoln as a threat. To appease the Southern states, Lincoln initially advocated for gradual, compensated emancipation along with creating colonies outside the US for formerly enslaved people, presenting this plan to border states in early 1862. This approach failed to gain traction with the border states and was also unpopular among African Americans, who largely did not want to leave their homeland.

The Emancipation Proclamation marked a significant shift in national policy toward slavery. The proclamation signaled the potential end of slavery, but presidential decrees could be overturned by subsequent administrations. It also did not legally end the institution of slavery, but only freed some formerly enslaved people.