That document was the Emancipation Proclamation that was
issued on January 1, 1863. This document
not only freed the slaves but it also changed the main goal of the war
itself. At the beginning, Lincoln’s goal
was to preserve the Union. He was afraid
that if he freed the slaves first, it would cause other states under the Union
to break away. Antietam enabled the him
to finally issue the said proclamation and by doing so freed all slaves who
were either in the North or the South.
