What was Lincoln's reason for emancipating slaves in the Confederacy?

Answer 1

Lincoln's primary focus was to preserve the union, not to end slavery. He once said (in a letter to Horace Greeley) "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 save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."

For him, the bottom line was keeping the country together, and emancipating the slaves was merely a potential tool towards that end... he personally opposed slavery, but in his official capacity as President he ultimately cared more about keeping the United States together than he cared about whether or not slavery was ended.

As it turned out, the Emancipation Proclamation actually was a case of the third option: it freed slaves in the rebellious territories, while leaving slaves in the border states that had not attempted to secede from the Union alone. And he did in fact use it as a tool... the major immediate impact was to put Britain and France in an awkward position: there was considerable British and French sympathy for the Confederacy, but the Proclamation made it difficult for them to officially recognize it as a new nation without also seeming to support slavery, which had already been abolished in both countries. Keeping the British and French from coming in on the Confederate side was a major blow to Southern hopes that the British Navy might help to end the blockade of southern ports.

Answer 2

Well, because your and my elementary & Jr. High teachers lied, by omission at least, to us. Slavery was an LONG after thought of the war. The civil war was begun and fought for many reasons, mostly state's rights vs. federalism... but slavery was not an issue anyone wanted or thought needed to be solved by war. (We and Haiti are the only New World countries that ended slavery "by the means of war")

Lincoln saw the Emancipation Proclamation as an opportunity to further support for him him during the war. Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware are all states who were not affected by this writ he provided because they remained a part of the Union.

Oh, and what Lincoln really wanted was the slaves to be deported deported. You should also read up on how many Irish folk were enslaved vs. African originates.

Answer 3

Because he wanted to satisfy both the North and South

IMPROVEMENT.

Because at the beginning the task of the war was that of restore the Union and not that of get rid of slavery.

Furthermore Lincoln would not hurt the public opinion of the four Border Slave State, which did not secede remaining in the Union.

Answer 4

Based on input from his cabinet, President Lincoln decided to accept one recommendation to wait until the Union scored a military victory before announcing his "preliminary" Emancipation Proclamation. He believed that this proclamation after a Union victory would be more effective as a war measure.

Answer 5

To turn the war into an official crusade against slavery, so that Britain and France could not aid the South without looking pro-slavery themselves.

Answer 6

He needed congress to pass it, so he had to make deals and to get congress to vote for it. Watch the movie Lincoln it focuses on this time.