On this day, 1 January 1863, Pres Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. However he did not do this because he was anti-racist, or out of the goodness of his heart:
“I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races; that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people…” - Abraham Lincoln.
He did it because he was a savvy political operator, as explained by historian Howard Zinn: https://libcom.org/history/lincoln-emancipation-howard-zinn https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1310660505785763/?type=3