What significant action did the Emancipation Proclamation achieve?

The Emancipation Proclamation was a pivotal executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, which specifically declared the freedom of all enslaved people in the states that were in rebellion against the Union, known as the Confederate states.

This action was significant because it marked a turning point in the war, as it transformed the conflict from a battle for the preservation of the Union into a moral crusade against slavery. By freeing enslaved individuals in those states, the Proclamation aimed to undermine the Confederacy’s economic foundation, which relied heavily on slave labor. Additionally, it paved the way for the eventual abolition of slavery throughout the United States with the 13th Amendment.

The other options, such as granting women's suffrage, ending the Civil War, or establishing public schooling, are not related to the Emancipation Proclamation. Women's suffrage was achieved later with the 19th Amendment, the Civil War concluded in 1865 long after the Proclamation was issued, and public schooling systems were developed independently of this significant action. Therefore, the choice highlighting the freedom of slaves in Confederate states accurately captures the essence and impact of the Emancipation Proclamation.