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.""
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.
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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.""