Explanation:   

  In 1860, there were approximately four million slaves (or people who are owned and have to work without being paid) in the United States. By 1865, there were no slaves because they had all been given freedom. Their freedom came from President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. 

 

  Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation (or public announcement) emancipated (or gave freedom to) all slaves in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation, which was made in 1863, made slavery illegal or not legal. This was a very risky decision, which means that it was a decision that could have caused a lot of trouble for Abraham Lincoln. The country was being torn in two (or strongly divided) between the northern states where slavery was illegal and the southern states where there were still many slaves. 

 

  Abolitionists (or people who wanted slavery to end) had been asking Abraham Lincoln to make slavery illegal for a long time. But he had to act cautiously (or slowly and very carefully). He knew that the political decision would be very risky. In fact, he did not make the Emancipation Proclamation until the Civil War (or the war between America’s northern and southern states) had already started.  

 

  The Emancipation Proclamation made slavery illegal in the Union (or the northern states), but the Confederacy (or southern states) was no longer listening to the President of the United States at that time. Slavery didn’t become illegal in those southern states until they became part of the United States again after the northern states won the Civil War.  Some of the southern states made slavery illegal right away, but others did it gradually (or a little bit at a time). Two states, Delaware and Kentucky, did not emancipate their slaves until 1865. 

 

  When the Emancipation Proclamation was read aloud, many slaves wept (or cried) with happiness. They were happy to have their freedom and to know that their children would be free. However, it would be many years before they would begin to be treated equally (or in the same way) as white Americans. Even today there is still discrimination (or unfair treatment) against some African Americans or black Americans. 

 

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