On Jan 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that authorized the Union Army enlistment of African Americans, who played a crucial role in securing the Civil War victory and official end of slavery: "all persons held as slaves... shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free"
On Jan 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that authorized the Union Army enlistment of African Americans, who played a crucial role in securing the Civil War victory and official end of slavery: "all persons held as slaves... shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free"