Executive Orders - Part 3/7

When you talk about Executive Orders, it's necessary to talk about the most famous one of all - the Emancipation Proclamation.

Now, my first point is a little controversial, but let's face it: Abraham Lincoln freed no one with the Emancipation Proclamation. It was useless for a couple of reasons. First of all, it was an Executive Order and as I've said before, cannot make law or policy. Secondly, it only freed slaves in the Confederate states. But, this was after the Confederate states had already seceded from the Union. Lincoln and the Union had no control over them. Thirdly, it was an ultimatum in response to the Confederate states seceding from the Union. It only went into effect if the Confederate states did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863.