Why was a compromise between presidents Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis be almost impossible to achieve?

Answer 1

A compromise was impossible simply because for Jefferson Davis any agreement had to be on the basis of the secession of the Southern States from the Union and President Lincoln would not and could not agree any compromise that recognised secession which he considered illegal and unconstitutional. Yee Haa

Answer 2

Both US President Lincoln and Confederate President Davis understood that some type of compromise agreement would be nearly impossible. This was due to the depth and intensity of their disagreement on the following issues:* Whether there was a right for any state to secede from the United States;

* Whether slavery should be extended or made it an institution to be abolished;

* Davis would accept no agreement that did not allow Southern independence; and

* Lincoln's position that there could be no settlement that did not restore the USA to its original status before the US Civil War.