American Civil War (idea)

The Civil War wasn't supposed to be about slavery.

I mean, it obviously was caused by slavery. Despite what early 20th-century textbooks might have said about states' rights or the nullification crisis being the cause of the Civil War, concerns about what the Republican administration might do to slavery was the reason the South seceded.

However, Abraham Lincoln didn't want to make the reason for war against the South ending slavery. There were three major reasons for this:

1. He'd lose support in the North. In 1861, support for Lincoln was practically unanimous. In fact, there were more volunteers to fight the war than could be organized (this was true in the South as well). But Northern Democrats were practically by definition uninterested in abolishing slavery. "Preserve the Union" was by far a more politically correct call.
2. He might lose the border states. At this point, Kentucky, Missouri, and Maryland had yet to declare their support either way. If Lincoln said he would abolish slavery, he'd probably lose all three. Since Maryland surrounds Washington, D.C., it was particularly critical that he keep it in the Union. Kentucky was also important since that would give the Union control of the Ohio River, and losing Missouri would cut off Kansas. But holding Maryland was essential, and it was in Baltimore that Lincoln first violated habeas corpus.
3. Lincoln really did want to preserve the Union. Lincoln refused to acknowledge that the Southern states could secede. He was putting down a rebellion, not fighting a war with another country. Lincoln wanted the Union to be preserved, and abolishing slavery would make it harder to reincorporate the Southern states.

Those are all good reasons for Lincoln to say the war wasn't about ending slavery, but did he really think that it wasn't? It's hard to tell. Some members of his Cabinet, like Charles Sumner, absolutely thought the war should be about ending slavery. Sumner saw it as an opportunity. Lincoln was so closed-mouthed about what he thought, it's hard to tell what he actually wanted. Obviously by 1863 circumstances had changed.

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