How Did African-Americans influence political decisions during the first few years of the civil war?

The Confiscation Acts were passed by the United States Congress in 1862. The intention of these acts was to free the slaves still held by the Confederate forces in the South. President Lincoln did not invoke parts of these acts which involved slaves because he did not want to lose the Border States. Frederick Douglass met with president Lincoln in 1863. Douglass encouraged the emancipation of all slaves and to recruit former slaves for the Union Army. Later in 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.