<human>:  What is the historical significance of the Emancipation Proclamation?
<bot>: The Emancipation Proclamation, signed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared all slaves contained in the ten Confederate states to be "forever free." This document marked a major turning point in the American Civil War, representing a further commitment to ending the institution of slavery in the United States. With its enactment, some 180,000 enslaved people immediately became free, and the Proclamation set the course for the end of slavery in the United States. It also represented a radical shift in the federal government's power to suspend and regulate the rights of citizens, which was later upheld by the Supreme Court in the case of Texas v. Johnson in 1989. In addition, the Emancipation Proclamation was a symbolic step toward liberation, inspiring many African Americans to join the Union Army and support the cause of ending slavery throughout the United States. Its legacy of guaranteeing the right of freedom resonates in the United States today.