Which proclamation announced that enslaved people in Confederate states were free in 1863?

Which proclamation announced that enslaved people in Confederate states were free in 1863?

• A. 13th Amendment
• B. Fugitive Slave Act
• C. Underground Railroad
• D. Emancipation Proclamation

Answer: (D)

The main idea tested here is the Emancipation Proclamation, a Civil War-era declaration that announced freedom for enslaved people in Confederate states, effective January 1, 1863. It reframed the war as a fight against slavery and allowed Black people to join the Union Army, changing the war’s purpose and boosting Union morale. It didn’t immediately free everyone—those in border states and areas under Union control remained enslaved until the later abolition of slavery—but it set a clear path toward emancipation and paved the way for the 13th Amendment. The other items refer to different actions: the 13th Amendment would abolish slavery nationwide and was ratified later; the Fugitive Slave Act mandated the return of escaped enslaved people; and the Underground Railroad was a network that helped enslaved people escape, not a proclamation.

The main idea tested here is the Emancipation Proclamation, a Civil War-era declaration that announced freedom for enslaved people in Confederate states, effective January 1, 1863. It reframed the war as a fight against slavery and allowed Black people to join the Union Army, changing the war’s purpose and boosting Union morale. It didn’t immediately free everyone—those in border states and areas under Union control remained enslaved until the later abolition of slavery—but it set a clear path toward emancipation and paved the way for the 13th Amendment. The other items refer to different actions: the 13th Amendment would abolish slavery nationwide and was ratified later; the Fugitive Slave Act mandated the return of escaped enslaved people; and the Underground Railroad was a network that helped enslaved people escape, not a proclamation.