Question

Why did Lincoln wait to announce the Emancipation Proclamation?

Answer 1

Lincoln never took office with the intention of outlawing slavery in the South. When the time came that he finally decided it was necessary, the North was losing most of the major battles of the war and issuing such a proclaimation would have been useless. When the time finally came that the North won some major victories (Gettysburg, Vicksburg at the least) then he was able to issue the proclaimation freeing the slaves. what is not generally known, however, is that the proclamaition only freed the slaves within the boundaries of the rebellious southern states. States that were part of the Union and still had slavery were not effected by this.

Answer 2

basically because of slavery lol