Abraham Lincoln's Views On Slavery

President Abraham Lincoln inherited a country rife with opposing viewpoints, full to the brink with aggression, ready to boil over. Realising his priority was to keep the country together, Lincoln prepared himself to sacrifice his morality in order to do so. Lincoln, like many of his peers, did believe that white men were superior to black men, but, unlike his peers, he was against slavery, in fact he did not believe white men had a right to rule over the black men. Although he was staunchly opposed to slavery, he said, in his inaugural address,”I have no purpose...to interfere with...slavery where it exists”(Lincoln 233). When the war inevitably broke out, Lincoln’s views were once again challenged. By the time one year of war rolled around,

He had previously taken a neutral position in an attempt to silence the South, but now he had to opportunity to recant and do something about slavery, an opportunity to win the war by taking the confederate’s forces right out from under them, an opportunity to join the rest of the world as an entirely free nation. By the time one year of war rolled around, Lincoln had started considering partial emancipation. In July of 1862, the South, supported by unwilling soldiers, was scoring many victories. Lincoln assessed the fact that slaves were fighting for their masters, and came to the conclusion that emancipation would weaken the Confederate forces significantly, telling his Secretaries of State and Navy that it was a “military necessity...essential for the salvation of the Union”(qtd. in Kubic 1). Knowing the opposition he would face, Lincoln assured his aides that he “understood” their opinions but was resolute and did not “ask their advice”.(qtd. In Kubic 1) Indeed he was, Lincoln had already completed his first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. Stating that it was a “fit and necessary war measure” and the slaves would remain “free henceforth and forever”(qtd.2). A necessary measure indeed, the Confederacy would be weakened militarily and financially, and crushing their culture entirely. However, Lincoln would not find support from the politicians in