THE QUESTION

Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one.

THE ANSWER

Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)

ALSO ACCEPTED

English question & answer

Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)

All accepted answers (English)

Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
Saved (or preserved) the Union
Led the United States during the Civil War
16th president of the United States
Delivered the Gettysburg Address

READ THE EXPLANATION

THE CONTEXT

Expansion, slavery, and civil war

This is an accepted study answer. For historical context, the proclamation applied to enslaved people in areas in rebellion; the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery nationally.

How it fits together

The Louisiana Purchase added a vast territory in 1803. As the country expanded, disputes over slavery and its extension grew. The Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, pitted the Union against the Confederacy after southern states seceded.

A closer look

Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect in 1863 and applied to enslaved people in designated areas in rebellion. It did not immediately free every enslaved person nationwide. The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery, with an exception in its text for punishment after conviction of a crime.