Question

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons. To which states do the words “designated States, and parts of States” refer?

Answer 1

Answer:

Those would be the "slave states" -  the 15 states in which slavery was legal before the Civil War.

Explanation:

Answer 2

Those would be the "slave states" -  the 15 states in which slavery was legal before the Civil War.