On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in Confederate territory. Lincoln believed he had constitutional authority to take such action as A. commander-in-chief of the military. B. head of his party. C. chief executive of the government. D. head of state.

A. commander-in-chief of the military.

Explanation:

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued mainly as a directive for the Union Army, so it was basically military in its character. It affected only slaves living in the rebel states of the Confederacy, not those living in slave-states that had remained loyal to the Union. But I think President Abraham Lincoln acted in different capacities at the same time, they can´t be unlinked. Besides being the US armed forces commander-in-chief, he was the chief executive of government.