Though a major step toward the abolition of slavery, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was directly aimed at the Secession States. It did not address slavery in Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware, known as the Border States. These states were allowed to maintain slavery because they remained loyal to the Union.
African American leaders took great exception to this flaw and openly voiced their concerns. Black men of Pennsylvania joined a delegation that met with Mr. Lincoln in the spring of 1862 to express their concerns. Later, in September 1862, the “Loyal Governors of the Union” convened a secret meeting at the Logan Hotel in Altoona to pledge their support for the pending proclamation. Only Maryland voted against the Emancipation Proclamation.
While the document was imperfect, it did provide for the development of African American military units in the United States army.