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Primary sourceDocument1 January 1863

Emancipation Proclamation

Abraham Lincoln · 1 January 1863

President Lincoln's 1863 proclamation declaring enslaved people in Confederate territory free, part of the war Tubman served in as a scout and spy.

Issued months before Tubman's Combahee River raid, it set the terms of the war of liberation in which she served.

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Handwritten manuscript page of the Emancipation Proclamation, headed 'By the President of the United States of America: A Proclamation,' in cursive script on aged cream paper, with the text beginning 'Whereas on the twenty-second day of September...'
Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863. U.S. National Archives, Record Group 11.

About this source

What it is

This is the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. It declared that enslaved people within rebellious Confederate areas 'are, and henceforward shall be free.' The manuscript is held by the U.S. National Archives.

Why it matters

The Proclamation transformed the Civil War into a war for freedom and allowed Black men to join the Union Army and Navy. It provides the historical background for Harriet Tubman's own wartime service as a scout and spy for Union forces, including her leading role in the Combahee River raid, which took place in the same war this document redefined.

Look closer

  • Why did Lincoln issue this as a military measure rather than simply to end slavery everywhere?
  • What groups of enslaved people were not freed by this proclamation, and why?
  • How might this document have affected the actions of people like Tubman during the war?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Andrew Johnson, Harriet Beecher Stowe and William Lloyd Garrison on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black-and-white studio portrait of a standing woman in a dark long-sleeved dress with a white collar, buttons down the bodice, and a tasseled key at her waist. Her hand rests on a draped chair; a hat and coat lie on a fringed stool, and a draped table stands at left against a plain backdrop with a column.Photograph

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Secondary source

Harriet, the Moses of Her People

Sarah Bradford · 1886

Sepia carte-de-visite portrait of a seated Black woman in a dark long-sleeved dress with a white collar and a light checked skirt, leaning her arm on a spindle chair. Handwritten signature reads Harriet Tubman. Red and cream border.Photograph

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Carte-de-visite Portrait of Harriet Tubman

Benjamin Powelson · c. 1868-1869

Scanned handwritten General Affidavit form, filled in by hand, with a title printed at top. The text describes a claim for services as nurse and cook in hospitals and as commander of scouts during the Civil War. Signatures of affiants appear at the bottom, including Harriet Tubman's name and her mark.Document

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General Affidavit of Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman · 1898

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