The Emancipation Proclamation was a document that sent ripples throughout the United States, because it was the first major federal action taken against the institution of slavery. The south might not have been as agitated as they were if the government had not crippled their workforce. The proclamation also allowed free slaves to join the union army, increasing the norths power. It also defined that the union was against slavery, and the confederacy was pro slavery. This then proved extremely useful to the union because it meant there was a very low chance that the confederacy was going to receive any assistance from Europe, because they had already outlawed slavery. The most noticeable effect of the Emancipation Proclamation would be the resulting few years of the war. The goal of the northern states changed to preserving the union, along with abolishing slavery. The impact of the proclamation was enormous and can be seen today. The Emancipation Proclamation set the groundwork for the abolitionist movement which had an enormous effect on the status of slaves in the United States. People wanted equality, but did not know how to do it, so President Lincoln took the first steps of them. Along with the abolitionist movement came the woman’s right moment right after them, making the Emancipation Proclamation the first domino to fall along a long road to