evaluate
ChatGPT said:
You’re absolutely right to point out that while Abraham Lincoln personally opposed slavery, the Civil War—at least at the outset—was not primarily fought to end it. Here’s a more detailed evaluation:
Thesis
Although Abraham Lincoln was morally opposed to slavery, his primary goal at the beginning of the Civil War was to preserve the Union. The abolition of slavery became a central war aim only as the conflict progressed and strategic, political, and moral pressures evolved.
1. Lincoln’s Early Views and Priorities
- Personal opposition to slavery: Lincoln viewed slavery as morally wrong. In debates with Stephen Douglas (1858), he famously said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
- Not an abolitionist: Despite his opposition to slavery, Lincoln was not an abolitionist in the radical sense. He was cautious and believed slavery should not spread to new territories but did not initially advocate for immediate nationwide abolition.
- Preserving the Union: In his First Inaugural Address (1861), Lincoln declared that he had “no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists.” His overriding concern was to keep the United States intact.
2. The War Begins: A Conflict Over Secession
- When Southern states seceded and formed the Confederacy, the Union’s war aim was restoring the Union, not ending slavery.
- In an 1862 letter to Horace Greeley, Lincoln wrote: “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…”
This shows that emancipation was instrumental, not fundamental—at least early on.
3. Shift in Policy: Slavery Becomes Central
- As the war continued, it became clear that slavery was at the heart of the conflict and the Confederacy’s economic power.
- Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring slaves in rebellious states to be free.
- This was a strategic decision: it weakened the Confederacy, discouraged foreign (especially British) support for the South, and allowed Black men to join the Union army.
- Over time, the moral dimension of the war gained prominence.
4. End of the War and Legacy
- By the end of the war, abolition was no longer a byproduct but a central outcome.
- Lincoln supported and pushed for the 13th Amendment, which permanently abolished slavery across the United States.
- His assassination shortly after the war’s end left Reconstruction and racial justice unresolved.
Conclusion
Lincoln’s initial war goal was to preserve the Union, not to abolish slavery. However, he recognized that the two issues were intertwined. As the war evolved, so did his policies, culminating in the Emancipation Proclamation and the eventual abolition of slavery. Thus, while the Civil War did not begin as a war to end slavery, it ultimately became one, due in large part to Lincoln’s leadership and changing circumstances.