What did the emancipation proclamation promise the freed slaves?

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared that all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory were to be set free. While it did not immediately free all enslaved individuals, it signaled a commitment to abolishing slavery and encouraged enslaved people to escape to Union lines. The proclamation also aimed to weaken the Confederacy's war effort by undermining its labor force. Ultimately, it laid the groundwork for the eventual passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States.