why did it take so long for Abraham Lincoln to authorize the formation of an all-black regiment?

Answer 1

Probably to prevent a war to preserve the Union from turning into a war for the abolition of slavery, which would have had less popular support in much of the North and would have prevented any peaceful solution -- He did in fact prevent Genl Butler from raising troops on Federal-captured islands off the South Carolina Coast, and would maintain that stance until the Emancipation Proclamation.

Independently, however, Genl Ben Butler, occupation commander of New Orleans and adjoining conquered territory, had begun on his own in August 1862 to raise regiments of "Native Guards".

Answer 2

Because the war wasn't about slavery, it was about Union. Well, it was about slavery if you were a Radical Republican. It was about Union if you were anyone else. Which is why, when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and New Jersey almost seceded. If Lincoln hadn't jailed some politicians there, the state may very well have left the war effort. Antebellum America was racist all over, not just in the South. It wasn't until northerners were getting tired of all the white deaths that the war was causing that they could accept the concept of African-American soldiers. Southerners also adopted the concept of African-American soldiers... but in February 1865, weeks before the war ended.

Answer 3

First of all it must be remembered that no one at the beginning of the Civil War felt that the war was over slavery. It was all Union vs. States' Rights. No one in the North was fighting to free the slaves and no one in the South was fighting to keep slavery. It was later that the reasons and polemics changed.

It also must be remembered that while blacks in the North were "free" they still were not treated very well. We tend to get our view and information from abolitionists in the North, but they were far from the majority. There were in fact many Southern publications that laughed at the North because, or so it was argued, the South treated blacks better than the North did. The North was still very prejudice.

In addition to all of this, the issue of having blacks fight in the Civil War North was also a political issue. One can only imagine what happened to those blacks who were wounded and or captured by Southern troops. They were often executed, tortured or sent into slavery. It is not an easy thing to doom troops to such a fate. There were also questions about how reliable and capable blacks were. We can look back today and say "well, that's just silly" but at that time that was a major arguement.

A final thought, did you know there were blacks who fought for the South? They were not nearly as numerous, but they did exist. The reasons for them volunteering was the feeling that they might be freed afterwards (as they were promised after the American Revolution), that they were loyal to their masters, and they were actually loyal to their states and areas. I know, it sounds weird to us today, but that was the way it was.

Answer 4

Lincoln was afraid of a backlash of political opposition from northerners who didn't think blacks deserved to be slaves, but still weren't ready to accept blacks as equals.