Question

Why did Lincoln delay the Emancipation Proclamation?

Answer 1

Lincoln delayed the Emancipation Proclamation until the Union Army could obtain a victory.

Explanation:

Nothing was going right for the Union forces versus the Confederate forces in their defending the South. The General of the Confederate Army decided to invade the Northern States. Lincoln could not proclaim the slaves free in the southern states until the Union Army could push the Confederate Army back to southern territory. He excepted the fact that the Battle of Antietam could be excepted as a victory when it was more fought to a draw.
The Proclamation only freed those slaves of the states succeeded from the Union.