While slavery was a significant issue during the Civil War, it was not the primary reason for the conflict. President Abraham Lincoln, who initiated the war, made it clear that his main goal was to preserve the Union, even if that meant protecting slavery. In a letter to Horace Greeley, Lincoln stated that he would save the Union with or without freeing slaves, depending on what was necessary.
The idea that the war was fought solely to free the slaves emerged in 1863 when Lincoln needed to shift the war’s focus. With the conflict at a stalemate and European powers considering support for the Confederacy, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This document had no legal authority to free slaves but was a successful public relations move that redefined the war’s purpose.
Lincoln’s introduction of slavery as a war rationale came well after the conflict had begun, highlighting that other factors were at play, including a punitive Northern tariff, debates over state sovereignty, and Lincoln’s determination to preserve the Union. Ultimately, the 13th Amendment, passed after Lincoln’s death, was what truly ended slavery.
