Section: American History: 1800s

95. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

Official answer

  • • Freed the slaves
  • • Freed slaves in the Confederacy
  • • Freed slaves in the Confederate states
  • • Freed slaves in most Southern states

Why

The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) declared enslaved people in the Confederate states to be free.

Answers verified against USCIS materials. Last checked 2026-07-17.

Official source: USCIS — 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025)