Lincoln had become increasingly ambivalent on the issue of slavery - and this landmark document reflected his political acumen, not his personal feelings. As the Civil War raged on, he was unwilling to risk losing the loyalty of the states which permitted slavery, arguing that quick abolition would “not only weaken our cause, but smack of bad faith....We didn’t go into the war to put down slavery, but to put the flag back.”

Lincoln had confidentially submitted a draft of the proclamation to his cabinet as early as June 22, 1862. Concerned about the Union’s dwindling fortunes in the Civil War, Lincoln did not deem it appropriate to reveal his plan to the nation until September 22, after the Union victory in Antietam.

Publisher Joseph Medill of the Chicago Tribune hailed the Emancipation Proclamation as “the grandest proclamation ever issued by man...so splendid a vision has hardly shone upon the world since the day of the Messiah.” Lincoln himself acknowledged its importance by signing the agreement with his full name, rather than his usual signature of “A. Lincoln.”