What made lincoln free the slaves?

Question

What made a white president all of a sudden take the decision to free the slaves ?

Answer 1

If you are looking specifically for the reason for Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, the following brief summary by historian Stephen Oates covers it well:

"We now know that Lincoln issued his proclamation for a combination of reasons: to clarify the status of the fugitive slaves, to solve the Union's manpower woes, to keep Great Britain out of the conflict, to maim and cripple the Confederacy by destroying its labor force, to remove the very thing that had caused the war, and to break the chains of several million oppressed human beings and right America at last with her own ideals."
http://www.mrlincolnandfreedom.org/inside.asp?ID=3&subjectID=1

The website just cited -- mrlincolandfreedom.com -- has an excellent collection of essays on the broader subject of how and why Lincoln came to 'free the slaves'.

Now Southron is correct that many have a simplistic/idealistic view of what Lincoln did. But his response is likewise simplistic, based unfortunately on the cherrypicking work of a couple of recent authors (esp. the shoddy work of Thomas DiLorenzo --a decent economist but a lousy historian) who ignore that work of numerous Lincoln scholars and MOST of what Lincoln actually said and did. I cannot respond to every error here, but note the following.

1) Lincoln's personal VIEW
a) From at least the mid 1850s he was VERY clear that he considered slavery an evil, and wished its end (Lincoln-Douglas debates, Cooper Union Address of 1860, and many statements and letters as President)
b) Lincoln had for years argued that slavery contradicted the Declaration of Independence (that's the source of his citation of "the proposition that all men are created equal" in his Gettysburg address... but he'd made this point for years!)

From the Lincoln-Douglas debates (in response to Douglas's virulent and repeated racist arguments):
"I hold that notwithstanding all this [the current racial inequalities], there is no reason in the world why the ***** is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. . . In the right to eat the bread, without leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of any living man."

Whatever Lincoln's personal opinions about the native abilities of blacks and whites, which may reflect common views of his age (found even among abolitionists), he was certainly NOT a "white supremacist" in any meaningful sense of the term. (He DID care about the plight of slaves and was NOT looking for ways to 'keep them down'.)


2) Lincoln recognized the Constitutional AND political limits of the President (and Congress) and that he could not, as President, simply declare slaves free.
a) the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Taney (author of the Dred Scott decision) would likely strike down any overreach by Lincoln very quickly (They had already done so with other war actions, and very nearly even done so with the Union's naval blockade, so ciritical to eventual success!)
b) To sustain the political support he needed (e.g., to keep other border states from seceding) he had to proceed with caution -- leading, but not by such a distance (as radical abolitionists often wished to) that the nation would refuse to follow

3) Lincoln's methods:
a) FIRST try to convince the border slave-states still in the Union to accept compensated emancipation (they balked)
b) the Emancipation Proclamation -- based on his WAR POWERS
See also: Allen Guelzo, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery - introduced at:
http://www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/Library/newsletter.asp?ID=1&CRLI=64
Lincoln carefully drafted this document NOT as a rhetorically lofty statement, but as a careful LEGAL document that could withstand a challenge in the federal courts.
c) continued, ultimately successful efforts, to push border states (Ky, Md) to legally end slavery
d) push for passage of the 13th amendment -- which he did through speeches, pushing for its inclusion in the 1864 party platform, logrolling, and pushing through the statehood vote for Nevada to gain extra votes for ratification. (Lincoln also suggested that at least some blacks, including those who had served in the military, should be given the franchise.)
http://www.mrlincolnandfreedom.org/inside.asp?ID=56&subjectID=3
See also Michael Vorenberg's book, Final Freedom: The Civil War, The Abolition of Slavery, and the Thirteenth Amendment, featured at:
http://www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/Library/newsletter.asp?ID=18&CRLI=95


Incidentally, the idea that the Proclamation freed no one is absurd. On the contrary, it IMMEDIATELY established the freedom of many fugitive slaves, encouraged others to flee (thus ensuring their own freedom-- they would NOT be returned), and meant that, whenever the Union army was able to take a territory, its slaves would immediately be free as well.


Frederick Douglass attested to Lincoln's genuine respect for him and other blacks and to the wisdom of his course of action in obtaining BOTH the preservation of the Union (his sworn duty as President) and the freeing of the slaves. In an 1876 speech he said:

"His great mission was to accomplish two things: first, to save his country from dismemberment and ruin; and second, to free his country form the great crime of slavery. To do one or the other, or both, he needed the earnest sympathy and the powerful cooperation of his loyal fellow countrymen. Without those primary and essential conditions to success his efforts would have been utterly fruitless. Had he put the abolition of slavery before the salvation of the Union, he would have inevitably driven from him a powerful class of the American people and rendered resistance to rebellion impossible. From the genuine abolition view, Mr. Lincoln seemed tardy, cold, dull, and indifferent, but measuring him by the sentiment of his country — a sentiment he was bound as a statesman to consult — he was swift, zealous, radical and determined."
http://www.mrlincolnandfreedom.org/inside.asp?ID=1&subjectID=1

Answer 2

Lincoln didn't free the slaves. The slaves were freed by the 13th Amendment, which was enacted after Lincoln's death. His famous Emancipation Proclamation only declared the slaves free in those parts of the South that were in rebellion --in other words, the parts not under Union control. For example, New Orleans, which was then under Union control, was specifically exempted, as were the 48 counties in what is now West Virginia, and some other places.
If you meant to ask why Lincoln made his Emancipation Proclamation, then you should restate your question. But first you ought to learn more about the subject, at the links below.

Answer 3

Actually, Lincoln is quoted as saying that if he could save the union without freeing the slave, he would do it. Lincoln was trying to save the entire US, not the black slaves of the era. The Emancipation Proclamation was Lincoln's way of garnering northern support for a clash that was bound to happen whether he freed the slaves or not. History (true history, not the bent to make somebody look good kind) proves that Lincoln was no more a hero than our present-day politicians are. They do what they do to get votes, and compromise their beliefs so they can achieve short-term gains.

Answer 4

First and most importantly He really didn't "free the slaves"...Read more in depth as to what the emancipation proclamation did.....It is much more complex than just freeing salves.

But the short answer to your question is to preserve the Union...If Lincoln did not have to alter slavery he would not have touched it.

Two good books on this topic;
FOUNDING BROTHERS for addressing the conflicts and political wrangling that went on in the US Government with regards to the issue of slavery (as a major theme)
TEAM OF RIVALS an Biography of Lincoln...

Answer 5

Lincoln was reluctant to issue an Emancipation Proclamation but you would have thought from what one is taught in class these days this was his primary concern. He issued the proclamation to save the Union making impossible for foreign Governments to intervene on behalf of the Confederacy. Even though the English supported (indirectly) slavery, they like other countries were officially against the practice. By his actions, Lincoln was showing the US was against slavery but not the Confederacy. If like the leaders of these countries at the time, you took the time to read and study the act you would see it does nothing and in fact, Lincoln thought that the Afro American was not the equal of whites and his plan was to resettle the slaves in either the Amazon or Western Texas.

Most people are not aware that there was a series of action and even proclamations for instance Lincolns correspondence of October 14, 1862 to the military and civilian authorities of occupied Louisiana.

“Major General Butler, Governor Shepley, & and [sic] all having military and naval authority under the United States within the S[t]ate of Louisiana. The bearer of this, Hon. John E. Bouligny, a citizen of Louisiana, goes to the State seeking to have such of the people thereof as desire to avoid the unsatisfactory prospect before them, and to have peace again upon the old terms under the constitution of the United States, to manifest such desire by elections of members to the Congress of the United States particularly, and perhaps a legislature, State officers, and United States Senators friendly to their object. I shall be glad for you and each of you, to aid him and all others acting for this object, as much as possible. In all available ways, give the people a chance to express their wishes at these elections. Follow forms of law as far as convenient, but at all events get the expression of the largest number of the people possible. All see how such action will connect with, and affect the proclamation of September 22nd. Of course, the men elected should be gentlemen of character willing to swear support to the Constitution, as of old, and known to be above reasonable suspicion of duplicity. (CW 5:462-3, italics added).

NOTE: The italic show that Lincoln rather then issue an Emancipation Proclamation or free the slaves was still willing to allow the Southern States back into the Union. One will find this all the way up to the 1865 visit to Camp Lookout.

At the same time Lincoln was issuing the Emancipation Proclamation he was petitioning his cabinet to negotiate and appropriate funds to force the Blacks else where.

In 1864, Jeff Davis and other Southerner leaders would contemplate outlawing slavery and probably would have if the opportunity had arisen.

God Bless You and The Southern People.

Answer 6

Not only was he a man of integrity and honesty he was a man of God and felt that no man should be able to enslave another and I am sure there were political reasons also but mostly he was a religious man as were the others that founded this great country but you won't find that in your history books as man has rewritten history all the founders believed and felt the bible should be taught in public schools and that we should not stray from those teachings if you can find an honest history book it will be in there

Answer 7

Yes, yes he has! He has done his very best to erect a socialist dictatorship polarizing the United States along a racial political and ideological lines. He'll go down in history as the first American President that if tried for high crimes and misdemeanors would be found guilty for trying to destroy the United States and the American way of life!

Answer 8

Enlistments were dropping off dramatically after southern forces slaughtered the Yanks in a series of battles, to try to regain support he brought in the slavery issue to get abolitionists to join the army.

His plan was to eventually free slaves by reimbursing slave owners for the value of their property lost as several other countries were doing...civil war forced his hand in order to get recruits.

Answer 9

Abraham did not want to free the slaves, he wanted one united country. Freeing the slaves is just how he was able to get the north to fight in the civil war.

Answer 10

he wasnt really worried about freeing the slaves it was just kinda like a side project what he was mostly doing is making the union a better place (or something like that its been so long but i remeber half of what i learned at least)

Answer 11

The reason why Lincoln freed the slaves was to take property away from the Confederates. It takes away some of the power the Confederates have when they lose their property.