I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.

Abraham Lincoln

Emancipation Proclamation

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Lincoln, Abraham. "Final Emancipation Proclamation," or "Proclamation 95." 22 Sept. 1862.

Current Citation

Lincoln, Abraham. "Final Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863." Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings 1859-1865, edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher. Library of America, 1989.