What did the Emancipation Proclamation achieve?

The Emancipation Proclamation is a landmark executive order that was issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War on January 1, 1863. Its primary achievement was that it declared the freedom of all slaves in the Confederate states, thereby making emancipation a central goal of the war. This significant shift not only altered the character of the conflict, turning it into a fight for human freedom, but it also allowed for the enlistment of African American soldiers in the Union Army, bolstering its numbers and moral standing.

The proclamation was limited in its immediate reach, as it applied only to the states that were in rebellion and not to those that were loyal to the Union or to border states. However, it paved the way for the eventual abolition of slavery throughout the United States, as it laid the groundwork for the 13th Amendment, which formally abolished slavery in 1865.

In contrast to the other options, forming a new government does not correlate with the purpose or outcome of the Emancipation Proclamation, nor did it relate in any way to the initiation of World War I or the introduction of women's suffrage, as these subjects pertain to separate historical events and movements.