Why did Abraham Lincoln declare war to the South? Why was he afraid of the South getting more powerful than the North?
No he didn't. He challenged the legitimacy of the CSA. So when the South did just that, they weren’t expecting any real reaction. They left for one reason, that they wanted to keep their slaves. Agriculture was their only freezable economy. I’m not sure if Lincoln’s original plans included funding government projects to industrialize the South, but I certainly would. That would be like setting fire to all the condoms in a city that banned abortions!Arguably though, the secession made it easier for Lincoln to free slaves, under the Emancipation Proclamation. The idea was that the president can’t steal property—slaves—from its citizens. However, he can steal this property from the enemy in war.But was the South threatening national security? Actually, yes. But only in ways Lincoln would not be able to comprehend. In his eyes the land was incredibly backwards, as it lacked industry.ALTERNATE HISTORYOkay so for starters—Oh. There seems to be a book series on this. And I hear it’s really good! I guess my work here is done!Fine! I’ll make a few presumptions!This Robert E. Lee. One day he decided to burn down the Union capital—and he almost did. Unfortunately, his letter boy on horseback delivering the order to his men got intercepted by Union soldiers. So all we have to do is keep the message from being intercepted, and watch Capital Hill slowly tumble down in glory. We can assume that anyone in their right mind would let them free, because carrying on the war would prove to be more dangerous. Lincoln may wish to continue on, but the Legislature may not.We can expect that this will have severe implications of Manifest Destiny. In our timeline during the Mexican-American War the South proposed taking the entire country of Mexico. It would be an easy win, but the North refused knowing that this would sprout more slave states, hurting the balance. The CSA also had a dream (imagine) of forming “The Golden Circle” encompassing Central America and the Caribbean. This would also be an easy win.Other then that, I will also hint that maybe possibly some countries in Western Europe choose… sides.
Did Lincoln want to start a war?
Lincoln's letter to Gustavus Fox on 1 May, 1861, makes it clear that he was pleased by the result of the firing on Ft Sumter... "You and I both anticipated that the cause of the country would be advanced by making the attempt to provision Ft Sumter, even if it should fail; and it is no small consolation now to feel that our anticipation is justified by the result."
Why do people think Lincoln free'd slaves?
The Civil war was started by the Southern States in order to preserve Slavery. It was fought by the rest of the country to preserve the Union. Preserving the union meant and end to Slavery. The emancipation proclamation freed the slaves in the rebel states (hardly enforceable). The lock that freed the slaves was the 13th Amendment to the constitution, ratified by a majority of the states by December 1865 (including most southern states with reconstruction legislatures). Lincoln should be honored. He understood the immorality of slavery and the politics required to end it. He fought a war, brought on by the South, to preserve the Union knowing that would also be an end to slavery. The war was not northern aggression. It was not over states rights, it was about slavery, and the extremes the slave holders would go to (breaking up the United States) in order to continue a manifestly immoral practice.
What was Lincoln's motivation in the civil war?
I've heard differing things from teachers, friends, etc. What exactly was Abe Lincoln's motivation for supporting the civil war? Was he really morally opposed to slavery or was it an economic issue or something else entirely...? My 8th grade teacher glossed over this when I asked about it 10 years ago, it still bothers me. Links or information from Civil War buffs are greatly appreciated.