1. The Civil War ended in 1865. Why did Lincoln decide to free the slaves before the war even ended? square

braham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War, not before it ended. The decision was primarily strategic, aimed at weakening the Confederacy by depriving it of its slave labor force and garnering support from abolitionist factions in Europe. The Proclamation declared slaves in Confederate-held territory free, but its impact was gradual and contingent on Union military victories. It symbolized a shift in the war's goals towards ending slavery, aligning with broader moral and political considerations.