Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation declared the freedom of slaves in which areas?

Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, declared that all enslaved individuals in Confederate states, which were in rebellion against the Union, would be set free. This was a strategic wartime measure aimed at weakening the Confederacy's ability to sustain its war effort by depriving it of slave labor. The Proclamation did not apply to slaves in border states that remained loyal to the Union or in areas of the South that had already been captured by Union forces.

The significance of focusing on the Confederate states is rooted in Lincoln's view of the Emancipation Proclamation as a military necessity rather than a straightforward governmental decree regarding slavery in the entire nation. By declaring freedom for slaves in the Confederate areas, Lincoln also aimed to encourage enslaved individuals to escape to Union lines, thereby undermining the South's economy and military resources.

This context illustrates why specifying Confederate states is the correct answer, as it highlights Lincoln's targeted focus on areas in rebellion, reflecting both his moral stance against slavery and his strategic goals during the Civil War.