Quote:
Originally Posted by SydneyK
Just wanted to point that out before this turns into a moral-North vs. hateful-South debate.
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I would never say that it was that simple. The North is not anti-slavery at the start of the war. The South secedes because they are concerned about the abolition of slavery. (They clearly state in all of their secession documents.) The North, on the other hand, enters the war in an effort to preserve the Union. Lincoln is very clear that if continuing slavery will help win the war, he'll work to continue slavery, and that if abolishing slavery will help win the war, he'll work to abolish slavery. He's anti-slavery in a moral sense, but he doesn't care about it that much. He cares about preserving the Union. It's only as the war continues that Lincoln and Congress move towards abolishing slavery. The 13th and 14th amendments are only passed in 1865, at the end of the war.
There are also some Southerners who fight because they're fighting to protect their homes. There are other Southerners who work valiantly on the side of the Union because they are anti-slavery and pro-Union.
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