Although he already had a draft emancipation proclamation prepared, Lincoln responded with his own open letter to Greeley, which he published in the National Intelligencer in Washington, D.C. Lincoln stated plainly that the goal of his administration's policies, including those related to slavery, was to save the Union. "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 was never the liberator libs make him out to be. He only wanted to free the slaves because it was the only way to prevent the Confederacy from seceding.
And he had no interest in integrating these newly freed people into US society. He had some weird fixation about shipping them all off to some island or something so he wouldn't have to deal with them, mentioning it several times even after being told it's a bad idea
He needed soldiers to fight for the union to prevent the Confederacy from gaining a victory. In the link I posted, they said that Lincoln already had a draft of the emancipation proclamation ready before he published this letter.
His intention was never to free the slaves, but to preserve the union. One way to gain new soldiers was to declare the slaves of the Confederacy free.
The confederates wanted to keep slavery, the union freed the slaves. If you were a free slave in the Confederacy, who would you fight for? The side that just freed you, or the side that wants to keep enslaving you?
Source: https://www.loc.gov/collections/abraham-lincoln-papers/articles-and-essays/abraham-lincoln-and-emancipation/
He was never the liberator libs make him out to be. He only wanted to free the slaves because it was the only way to prevent the Confederacy from seceding.
And he had no interest in integrating these newly freed people into US society. He had some weird fixation about shipping them all off to some island or something so he wouldn't have to deal with them, mentioning it several times even after being told it's a bad idea
Yup. Black people freed themselves from white people.
Lincoln just saw the opportunity to get more soldiers to prevent the collapse of the settler project.
Isn't that how Liberia originated?
Isn’t that what directly led to their secession though? Or do you mean it was the only way to rally the North to force the union back together?
He needed soldiers to fight for the union to prevent the Confederacy from gaining a victory. In the link I posted, they said that Lincoln already had a draft of the emancipation proclamation ready before he published this letter.
His intention was never to free the slaves, but to preserve the union. One way to gain new soldiers was to declare the slaves of the Confederacy free.
The confederates wanted to keep slavery, the union freed the slaves. If you were a free slave in the Confederacy, who would you fight for? The side that just freed you, or the side that wants to keep enslaving you?