The status quo was human bondage. You are okay with that? Now I agree that the owners should have been compensated at market prices, just as if I were to confiscate your factory or office equipment and that wasn’t done, but otherwise you consider the anti-slavery people to be wild-eyed liberals?
No, the status quo was the Constitution and slavery was legal. Slavery was a legacy "gift" from the British Empire.
Lincoln was a Republican, the south was Democrats ready to divide the Union. The conservative verses liberal was not the argument back then. It was states rights or federal authority. In that time period most people on both sides were church going Christians. Slavery was a point for arguing the states rights verses the Union authority argument. Slavery was wrong the south should have dropped that and moved to fight the states rights issue but the rich wanted the cheap labor. Notice anything today similar?