President Lincoln believed slavery was wrong. During the Civil War, he made one of the most important announcements in American history.
In 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. That is a big name, but its meaning is simple: enslaved people in the South were declared free. Emancipation means setting someone free!
After the war, the country added a new rule to its highest law — the 13th Amendment — which ended slavery everywhere in America, forever. Brave people who had escaped slavery, like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, had worked for freedom for years. At last, freedom became the law of the land.
1. What did Lincoln sign in 1863?
2. What does emancipation mean?
3. What did the 13th Amendment do?
4. Name one brave person who worked for freedom.
Write what each word means in your own words.
Write T for true or F for false in each circle.
Match the person to the clue. Write A for Lincoln, B for Harriet Tubman, or C for Frederick Douglass.
| Clue | A, B, or C |
|---|---|
| I was president and signed the Emancipation Proclamation. | |
| I escaped slavery and led many others to freedom. | |
| I escaped slavery and gave powerful speeches for freedom. |
1. Why do you think the Emancipation Proclamation is called one of the most important papers in American history?
1. Lincoln signed the Proclamation.
2. He signed it in .
3. It declared enslaved people in the South .
4. The Amendment ended slavery everywhere.
5. Harriet led many people to freedom.
6. Freedom became the of the land.
Draw a picture that shows FREEDOM. It could be broken chains, people celebrating, a bell ringing — you choose!
| I learned... | Circle one |
|---|---|
| What the Emancipation Proclamation did | YES / NOT YET |
| What the 13th Amendment did | YES / NOT YET |
| About heroes like Tubman and Douglass | YES / NOT YET |