Lincoln worried that the border states might rebel if he moved to quickly on emancipation. He believed it was more important to win the war first, then to free the slaves.
Much like the constitutional founding fathers thought it was more important to have all the states remain a part of the Union then it was to get rid of slavery.
So he was stringing them along until he could get enough power to do the thing that would have lost their support had he told them the truth of his intentions?
Honest Abe?
Much like the constitutional founding fathers thought it was more important to have all the states remain a part of the Union then it was to get rid of slavery.
Especially since in 1787, I think 12 of the 13 states were still slave states. Massachusetts wouldn't be much of a Union by itself. It sorta needed the other 12 states to keep England from taking it back.
And yes, Massachusetts ended slavery in 1780 with a Liberal Judge making up fake law and applying it to the Massachusetts constitution to make it say something that it was never intended to say.
Liberal Judges got rid of slavery in Massachusetts. It was not done through the Democratic process. It was not done through "consent of the governed." It was imposed on the people by the liberal Legal system. Same way "gay marriage" was imposed on them 250 years later.