[hawkaw]

But wasn’t the reason the south seceded was due to many northern states not wanting slavery and northern states invoking their states rights to do it and the feds deciding not to enforce their statute against the north. Once the south states left the feds had no choice but to stop it.

[DiogenesLamp]

But wasn’t the reason the south seceded was due to many northern states not wanting slavery and northern states invoking their states rights to do it and the feds deciding not to enforce their statute against the north. Once the south states left the feds had no choice but to stop it.

Not even close to the truth. There were five Union Slave states that remained Slave states until the 13th amendment was passed AFTER THE WAR. Over a year after the war started, Lincoln clearly indicated he had no intentions of abolishing slavery either in the south or the north.

August 22, 1862.

" As to the policy I "seem to be pursuing" as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt.

I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. 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."