Episode 4 of 5

Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

When: September 22, 1862
Where: Washington, D.C.
Part of: Lee's invasion of Maryland: Second Bull Run to Antietam and the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, citing his authority as Commander-in-Chief.

Issued five days after Antietam, the proclamation referenced the Second Confiscation Act. Lincoln asserted his authority as President and Commander-in-Chief to issue the proclamation as a military measure.

Sources

Emancipation Proclamation Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.