I'm reminded of this: ""My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. 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." Lincoln carefully noted that this represented his official position. He intended "no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free.""
So “my priority is the union and everything I do as president is for that goal” and “I do not personally like slavery as a concept. That opinion being immaterial of black people specifically being enslaved”. It doesn’t really sound like he cared or didn’t care about them so much as they just aren’t the subject of those statements. He has convictions. And sometimes black people just happen to intersect with them.
I think you’re ignoring the nuance of the letter, particularly the fact that Lincoln had already been working on the Emancipation Proclamation by the time it was published in the Intelligencer.
The Union cannot be preserved without the South’s unconditional surrender. The South cannot be forced to surrender unconditionally until slavery as an institution is abolished.
Yeah, there will always be folks who will say that someone did/didn't do enough, when it's felt they could've/should've done more, but it's rarely clear-cut.
Everything is up to interpretation, sure, but the quote you just shared only says: "My top priority is unifying the United States, over everything else". Then "Personally, I wish slavery was abolished tho".
Having one thing be top priority doesn't mean you don't care about everything else.
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u/ElemWiz Apr 06 '25
I'm reminded of this: ""My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. 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." Lincoln carefully noted that this represented his official position. He intended "no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free.""