The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in the 19th century.
 It was more than 100 years ago that Abraham Lincolna great President of another partysigned the Emancipation Proclamation
 However, as a result of the Proclamation, most slaves became free during the course of the war, beginning on the day it took effect; eyewitness accounts at places such as Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and Port Royal, South Carolina record celebrations on January 1 as thousands of blacks were informed of their new legal status of freedom

