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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.

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What was Lincoln's reason for not emancipating slaves when the war began?

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No the confederacy didn't but the slaves did.


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Did Abraham Lincolns religion play a part in his assassination?

It was not Lincolns religion it was his policy to flee slaves and to forgive the defeated troops.


What did president Lincoln issue that changed the reason for fighting and freed the slaves in the confederacy?

Because the Declaration Of Independence states all men are equal.


What were some of the major civil rights accomplishments of the Lincolns?

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It only freed slaves in the Confederacy.


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Slavery is immoral and violates basic human rights. Emancipating slaves was a necessary step towards ending this egregious practice and promoting equality and justice for all individuals.