1865 was an important year for slaves in the United States because it marked the end of the American Civil War and the official abolition of slavery. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared all enslaved people in the Confederate states to be free. However, the proclamation did not immediately free all slaves, as it did not apply to the border states or the Confederate states that were still under Confederate control. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which正式 abolished slavery throughout the United States, was not ratified until December 6, 1865.