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It's a good article but only touches on the socioeconomic issues that helped to cause the divide in the Union. One major factor was the Transcontinental Railroad. The South wanted to start in the South because they believed they would have the most use for it in transporting goods to the western territories. The North didn't want the Railroad in the south so that it was better used for commercial travel from the North for passenger transport and manufactured goods. A large portion of the Congress predominately from the North, felt, also, that by putting something as great as the Trans-cont. R.R. in the South it would be seen as promoting slavery and would stain further the integrity of the United States.
Also, Republicans in Washington were trying to destroy slavery indirectly, without all out abolition, by taxing goods produced by slave labor. These and other issues were the cause of the Civil War. Lincoln supported the Republicans in Washington during his campaign, yet at the same time was the uniting statesman that he had to be in order to try to keep the Union in tact. It was his need to be uniting as President that kept Confederate soldiers from being treated as deserter or traitors after the war was over.
In the end, Lincoln was opposed to slavery, however didn't want to end it at the cost of the Union (same as the framers, just under different circumstances). After the Union was inevitably divided he officially emancipated the slaves. But, unlike the South, Lincoln never saw himself as the President of the North, but President of the United States.