he Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1 1863 as a war measure during the American Civil War directed to all of the areas in rebellion and all segments of the executive branch (including the Army and Navy) of the United States. It proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states that were still in rebellion.Because it was issued under the President's war powers it necessarily excluded areas not in rebellion - it applied to more than 3 million of the 4 million slaves in the U.S. at the time.