I have pointed out the fact the Emancipation Proclamation was a political tool to keep Europe from entering the war on the side of the south and nothing more for decades, as does any true student of history.
Whenever I have anyone argue me this point, I ask them to read the document, and tell me what it says. When they finish reading the second paragraph I stop them, and ask them to read it again.
I ask them do you understand what you just read? This instantly separates someone who has had just a remote amount of true history about the Civil War, from the mindless drones who graduated form US Public High Schools. Because anyone who has just an inkling of true exposure to this period of our history will know that that both MD and WV were both states where slavery was legal and were part of the Union during the civil war, in fact its how WV became a state to begin with.. as it did not want to leave the Union with the rest of Virginia.
The second paragraph makes it quite clear that it does not free all slaves, it only freed slaves in territories currently in rebellion, of which at the time the US government had no active authority over. Had Lincoln truly desired to free the slaves, all slaves, he could have not conditionalized this document to only cover those in the CSA.
The Emancipation Proclamation was a political step, that made it impossible for Europe to enter the war, which they were debating and quite likely going to do, on the side of the CSA. This document instantly made it politically impossible for the nations of Europe to do so, but also made sure that no slave owners or their interests in WV and MD would be wronged and risk political fallout up to and including further secession of states into the CSA.
However, facts don’t matter, as we have a nation of idiots today that are truly becoming dumber and less informed with every passing day.
"Nothing more"? How about the beginning of the end for slavery in America? It didn't say that all slaves outside the designated areas were forever to be enslaved. Rather it furthered a process that would result in their being freed. And not that long afterwards, either. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery (at least formally) less than three years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Obviously speaking of yourself, since your understanding of the Emancipation Proclamation is... well, less than fully informed.
The Emancipation Proclamation was a military tactic, first suggested by former President John Quincy Adams when he was again a Congressman, likely directly to young Abraham Lincoln when they both served, in 1847.
It's military use is obvious, in denying the Confederacy services of, eventually, hundreds of thousands and millions of slaves in territory controlled by the US Army.
As a military tactic, the Emancipation Proclamation was used before the Civil War, Florida comes to mind.
And of course, the Brits used a similar tactic against our Founders.
Until the 13th Amendment was ratified, the Emancipation Proclamation was the only lawful method Lincoln had to free slaves, and to his credit, he used it.