Use context clues to determine the meaning of the underlined word below. Then, answer the question.

President Abraham Lincoln emancipated all slaves in the United States. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, declared that slavery was illegal in the United States.

Which sentence describes something being emancipated?
A. The kids released the new butterfly from its cage.
B. The birds pecked at the feeder in order to get seeds.
C. The puppies chewed on Sarah's laundry basket.
D. The fish swam under the tiny castle and waited.