What significance did the Emancipation Proclamation have on the war's outcome?

Answer 1

The Emancipation Proclamation became a turning point in the Civil War because it gave the North what it wanted. The North wanted to free the slaves and do away with slavery.

Answer 2

The Emancipation Proclamation changed popular thinking and military policy. Northern whites argued that if black were to benefit from a Union victory they should share in the fighting and dying. Blacks helped capture forts and win battles. In July a black regiment attacked Fort Wagner, South Carolina. This helped convince many white Northerners and Union officers of the value of black soldiers. The War Department authorized the enlistment of free blacks and contraband slaves. The Lincoln administration recruited as many Af. Ams as it could. W/o black soldiers the president suggested in the autumn of 1864 , "we would we compelled to abandon the war in 3 weeks." Black soldiers gave the North the numbers they needed to defeat the South, and they were more willing to enter into the war than whites.

Answer 3

It made it impossible for free nations abroad to aid the South without looking pro-slavery themselves. So the British had to give up their plans to grant recognition to the Confederacy and send military aid.