• gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    6 months ago

    He might have somewhat wanted to, but it wasn’t an explicit goal of his until it became strategic to the war effort.

    Lincoln before he got elected: no, I’m not coming for your slaves

    Lincoln after elected: no, I’m not coming for your slaves

    Lincoln during the war: “If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them”

    Lincoln the moment the British might aid them: “the war is now about slaves and their freedom so Britain won’t feel good about helping”

    Yes, Lincoln didn’t like slavery and thought it was bad for the country, but much like the founding fathers he thought it was on its way out naturally. Without the southern states throwing The Great Tantrum Lincoln would have left the slave issue alone

    • xor@infosec.pub
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      6 months ago

      Lincoln during the war: “If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them”

      i don’t think you understand that sentence you just quoted… i know it’s a bit weird in phrasing, but it’s probably a trap to cite the longer quote, but ignoring the context that he’s a politician in the process of convincing people of shit and not every sentence he said was some plain fact and proof of something by itself, in a vacuum

      Lincoln before elected: no, I’m not coming for your slaves

      i wonder why that was a topic? it’s almost as if: slavery was a very big point of contention, and the war and division was brewing for a while and lincoln didn’t start the civil war by himself… and so he said some politician-type stuff to get elected and then in fact “come for” the slaves…