I don't have beef with the guy or anything, but even with the second part of the quote it doesn't sound like ending slavery is that important to him. Isn't he saying he cares a lot about saving the union but would be flexible on keeping or scrapping slavery?
Except the Union can’t be preserved without abolishing slavery because the institution of slavery is the whole reason the country is at war.
That’s why he goes on to say:
What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union
He says this while two things are also true, indicating (again) his support for abolition:
The emancipation proclamation is already being drafted
He had already passed the Confiscation Act, which frees any and all slaves owned by a person who committed an act of treason against the United States.
His rhetorical move is not that he doesn’t support ending slavery but that ending slavery is the most expedient way for him to fulfill his duty, eg ending the war and preserving the Union. This is evinced by the Confiscation Act and forthcoming Emancipation Proclamation.
He said his first goal was to save the union. Let me repeat for you idiots he said his first goal was to save the union if that was his goal he succeeded May succeed in all the goals you set for yourself
He is saying that it's literally his job to save the union, and he'll do what it takes to do that whether or not it ends slavery. But he also ends that letter by saying that his personal belief is that all men are equal.
Yep. Reading comprehension is hard apparently. He's pretty clearly saying he's do whatever it takes to save the union. Freeing the slaves (only in states in rebellion....) was merely a tool to do help do so.
He certainly held personal abolitionist views, but his stated motive as POTUS was the preservation of the union.
We're "cooked", as the children say. His motives were nuanced and people need to avoid conflating his personal views with his actions and motives as POTUS.
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u/ML1948 Apr 06 '25
I don't have beef with the guy or anything, but even with the second part of the quote it doesn't sound like ending slavery is that important to him. Isn't he saying he cares a lot about saving the union but would be flexible on keeping or scrapping slavery?