I know Lincoln had no intention at the start of the war to abolish slavery. You missed my question/statement. I said many northern states not all. I also indicated that I thought the south states left because the feds were letting many of the northern states away with abolishing slavery and not doing anything about it (i.e., the many northern states were using states rights and not following federal law). Then I indicated that once those south states left over the states rights issue, the feds had no choice but to go after the southern states to keep the country united.
Well, I don't consider the issue of keeping the country United to be the right course of action. It is no different from an abusive husband forcing his wife to live with him and to continue suffering his abuses.
The Southern States had as much right to leave the United States as did the 13 Colonies to leave the United Kingdom. If people want to leave, it is wrong to use force to keep them, especially at the cost of so much blood, misery and destruction.
We recognize the right of self determination all over the world, but for some reason we didn't recognize it in the country from which the idea was born.
I find myself wishing states could break off and leave Washington now, because all I see is the Liberal parts of the country wrecking everything, and I no longer wish to be part of their depraved and disgusting nation.
But the mindset has become commonplace that people don't have a right to leave, and that mindset started with the Civil War.