How can we actually debate what the civil war was about when Lincoln himself said it was about preserving the?

Question

Union? He didnt care about slaves in the least: I get sick of the crappy revised version of history we are taught in school.

August 1862 (in response to a letter from Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune) – "Dear Sir . . . I have not meant to leave any one in doubt. . . . My paramount objective in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy Slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that. What I do about Slavery and the colored race, I do because it helps to save this Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help save the Union. . . . I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty, and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men, everywhere, could be free.
Yours, A. Lincoln."

they all had the same point of view. The south wanted out the north wanted them in if not by concessions by force. Lincoln said very clearly in this quote he would do and say sacrifice etc to keep the union.

Answer 1

Abe Lincoln was not anti-slavery as many depict him to be. The Civil was was over what most wars are over, resources. In this case the resource was slaves.

It was really about economics and how they could support their economy! Slavery was very much a side issue as they were involved heavily in their economy!!

Answer 2

Second mistake people make about Lincoln is the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation didn't actually free any slaves because it related only to areas under the control of the Confederacy. The South broke away from the North, and President Lincoln couldn't make slave owners living in the Confederate states obey the Emancipation Proclamation. After the Civil War ended and the South became part of the United States again, the South had to obey Lincoln. Also the Emancipation Proclamation didn't include slaves in the border states and in some southern areas under the North's control, such as Tennessee and parts of Virginia and Louisiana. No slaves were actually freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but it did lead to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The 13th Amendment became a law on December 18, 1865, and ended slavery in all parts of the United States.

Answer 3

Lincoln personally was very much opposed to slavery. There were 2 big reasons why he could not openly pronounce the end of slavery as a purpose to the war:
1) Slavery was supported by the constitution
2) Calling for an end to slavery could have driven away the pro-union slave border states which Lincoln needed on his side to win the war

Furthermore, as in the south, most people in the north were considered to be extremely racist (note how the issues of black civil rights from the 1860's continued well into the 1960's, and some would say beyond). To announce that slavery is the purpose of the war would not be a compelling force for most of his troops to fight. Preserving the union was the ticket he needed to sell and he did just that.

Answer 4

You are correct, the civil war was about states rights from the Southern point of view yet the Northern view was to maintain the Union. Slavery didn't enter the war until 2 years had passed and even then it was a weak point. The Northern Forces, the people of the Union States didn't want blacks to be free and equal. They didn't want blacks able to vote and live as they did. They wanted a clear conscience.

Answer 5

Slavery was the defining issue that divided the nation and brought about the Civil War.

I know the South will say it was about "states rights", while conveniently ignoring the "human rights" of slaves, but the bottom line is that if slavery was not an issue, secession would not have happened and there would not have been a war.

Note: I live in the South and love the South, but I cannot condone slavery.

Answer 6

If by 'onion' you mean' union lol, I think by the time the war was underway, he wanted the war to end more than he wanted the Confederate states to re-join the union, as he was afraid of sustaining heavy casualties. But you could argue that because he initially introduced the Emancipation Proclamation in 1963 before he attempted to get anyone to re-join the union and extended this to all Confederate states in 1965 just after the war ended that he felt this was more important. I personally think he was more interested in ending slavery for that reason. =)

Answer 7

Want to really have some fun? Get these folks that claim slavery was the reasoning behind the war to actually read the Emancipation proclamation. Not one single slave was freed in the Northern states.

Answer 8

Saving the union by shooting the people who want out is not democratic it's oppression. What a great place too live in; the US murdered the Indians, enslaved the blacks, destroyed the south, stole land from the Mexicans, invaded Canada three times and that was in the beginning. You have not slowed down since. Have you ever wondered why the US is in Iraq? Should be interesting too see Imperial America attack Iran

Answer 9

Was slavery the big cause of the thread to the Union? If there was no thread to the Union then slavery would had made his top priority, and eventually, it would create a thread to the Union.

That's my take on it.

Answer 10

The proper name for the war you refer to is: The War Between The States!