Question

guided practice
what key political decision made by abraham lincoln helped change the nature of the war in the unions favor?
a. running for reelection
b. passing the thirteenth amendment
c. issuing the emancipation proclamation
d. allowing southern states to secede

Explanation:

• Option A: Lincoln's reelection (1864) came after the war's nature had already shifted, so it was not the decision that changed the war's course.
• Option B: The 13th Amendment was passed in 1865, near the war's end, so it did not alter the war's nature earlier to help the Union.
• Option C: The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) redefined the Civil War as a fight to end slavery, which shifted international support to the Union, encouraged enslaved people to join Union forces, and changed the war's core purpose to benefit the Union.
• Option D: Lincoln never allowed southern states to secede; his goal was to preserve the Union.

Answer:

C. issuing the Emancipation Proclamation