What did the Emancipation Proclamation accomplish?

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declared the freedom of all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory. This was a crucial step toward the abolition of slavery in the United States and aimed to weaken the Confederacy's ability to wage war by disrupting their labor force. The Proclamation did not free all slaves immediately, but it transformed the Civil War's purpose by adding moral significance to the struggle against the Confederacy. It indicated a commitment to ending slavery as a central goal of the Union war effort, which eventually led to the passage of the 13th Amendment that formally abolished slavery in the United States.

In context, while the other options presented significant historical facts, they do not accurately represent the specific accomplishment of the Emancipation Proclamation. The document itself did not end the Civil War, establish voting rights for women, or legalize civil rights; rather, it focused specifically on the issue of slavery in the rebel states.