Abraham Lincoln was an important figure who rose from an uneducated man to become the 16th President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln is also known for his determination to end slavery. One of Abraham Lincoln's political achievements was the Emancipation Proclamation. Prior to his presidency, Lincoln was not very familiar with the military because he never really received a proper education as a boy. However, Lincoln's entire presidency was spent primarily during the war. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln walked into his office and spotted a document on his desk that bore the name “Emancipation Proclamation.” The Emancipation Proclamation declared freedom for slaves in the Southern states who were currently fighting against the United States. It was Lincoln who wrote the first four pages of the original Emancipation Proclamation. He had no doubts about signing this document because he was very aware of the importance of his signature. When Lincoln signed this document, he said, "I have never been so sure in my life that I did the right thing as in signing this document." » Lincoln's main goal during his presidency was to maintain the unity of the United States. When the newspapers learned that the Proclamation had been signed, everyone was excited. Henry Turner, a minister of the Church who waited with a crowd of people in a newspaper office, described what he witnessed when everyone was reading the newspaper. He said: “When the people saw me arriving with the newspaper in my hand, they shouted for joy…I started to read the proclamation [but] I was out of breath and could not read. Mr. Hinton to whom I gave the newspaper read it with great force and clarity…… Men…… middle of paper…….an amendment outlawed slavery anywhere in the United States. So everyone had freedom. The Fourteenth Amendment of 1868 made it legal to deny the life, liberty, or property of any citizen unless permitted by law. Furthermore, this amendment states that every citizen has equal security before the law. And finally, the Fifteenth Amendment stated that it was illegal to deny anyone the right to vote because of race, color, or prior slavery. Overall, the Emancipation Proclamation was the first step toward freedom. Abraham Lincoln certainly played an important role in enabling the United States to create a slavery-free environment. Lincoln was a very determined man who believed that slavery was wrong. All his determination paid off when Congress passed three amendments to guarantee the rights of African Americans. Lincoln is a dynamic figure who was constantly persistent.