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Lincoln couldn’t say the war was over slavery because he had no legal way to achieve that end,

Based on his actions, he clearly had no intention of achieving that end when he started the war.

The Ghost Amendment that Haunts Lincoln's Legacy.

Bottom line, whatever might be said, the Civil War was all about slavery.

If it was all about slavery, why was Lincoln trying to give them all the protection for slavery they could possibly want?

If it was all about slavery, why didn't they take the deal?

‘Based on his actions, he clearly had no intention of achieving that end when he started the war.’

you are aware that the Corwin amendment was initiated and signed by James Buchanan, right...? Lincoln simply stated his intent not to oppose it...

‘If it was all about slavery, why didn’t they take the deal?’

you need to ask that question...? because, flatly stated, they did not trust the free states; because while the north lacked the authority to outright abolish slavery, they went about disrupting it by ancillary methods...the south simply figured a deal with the regarding slavery was not worth the paper it was written on...

rejecting the deal was the south’s decision; as such, the amendment, conceived in stupidity by a desperate president and poorly presented to the states, was a colossal failure...Lincoln’s involvement in it was entirely marginal, but don’t let that fact deter you as you continue to ‘educate’ us...

Based on his actions, he clearly had no intention of achieving that end when he started the war. If it was all about slavery, why was Lincoln trying to give them all the protection for slavery they could possibly want? If it was all about slavery, why didn’t they take the deal?

I believe that the south deeply distrusted Lincoln and the Republican party. So much so that the refused to believe him when he said that he would follow the law and leave slavery untouched where it existed. But he also said that he could not foresee the nation permanently divided over the slavery issue—it would eventually become all free or all slave.

As to why the south didn’t take the deal—southern politicians made lots of stupid (IMO) decisions. Besides thinking they could win a war against the north, they also thought that embargoing cotton sales to Britain to bring that anti-slavery nation into the war on their side being two glaring examples.

If, after secession, California authorities used their National Guard to violently attack Edwards AFB, would any President not respond? SC did attack Ft Sumpter. They no doubt felt that they were within their rights as a sovereign nation/state. Lincoln thought the attack justified a military response.

Could all of this been avoided. Of course, but sooner or later the issue of slavery, which was behind all of it was going to have to be addressed. Very few ‘first-world nations’ in 1860 still had slavery.