What document proclaimed the freedom of enslaved people in Confederate states?

The Emancipation Proclamation is the document that proclaimed the freedom of enslaved people in Confederate states. Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, it declared that all persons held as slaves in the rebellious states shall be then, and henceforward, free. This was a significant step in the abolition of slavery in the United States, as it shifted the focus of the Civil War not just to the preservation of the Union but also to the issue of ending slavery.

The Emancipation Proclamation was a strategic wartime measure intended to weaken the Confederacy's ability to sustain its war effort, as enslaved people constituted a substantial labor force. Additionally, it allowed for the enlistment of African American soldiers into the Union Army, further strengthening the Union's military capabilities.

In contrast, the other documents mentioned do not address the issue of slavery in the same direct way. The Declaration of Independence is primarily about the colonies' separation from Britain and does not deal with slavery specifically. The Civil Rights Act, passed later in the 1960s, was aimed at ending segregation and discrimination but is not related to the emancipation of enslaved people during the Civil War. The Bill of Rights focuses on protecting individual liberties and does