Saying that Lincoln only adopted an anti-slavery stance as a war measure is not well supported in the record, and your quotes do not suggest otherwise.
Saying oneself to oppose slavery personally does not equal supporting the abolition of the practice. Lincoln only turned to the latter when it was a convenient war time maneuver. Prior to then he had repeatedly stated that he would not abolish slavery and personally endorsed a constitutional amendment to that end in his inaugural address.
Lincoln made plain well before the war that he was an oppenent of slavery.
In that sense, so did Robert E. Lee. But simply opposing slavery as a practice does not equal politically supporting a government action to abolish it. Lincoln only supported that, and even then in a limited sense, when it was an opportune wartime manuever.
In that sense, so did Robert E. Lee. But simply opposing slavery as a practice does not equal politically supporting a government action to abolish it.
Your statement is not well supported in the record.
I will not at this time suggest that you are being disingenous. But to compare Lincoln's amd Lee's positions on slavery is a bit of a stretch. Lincoln repeatedly said that all men should be free-Lee said the best relationship between black and white was that of master and slave.
Too, you state that "simply opposing slavery as a practice does not equal politically supporting a government action to abolish it". Well, as my note put up just a few minutes ago shows, Lincoln wrote legislation in the late 1840's to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia.<>That is a governmental action. I do not think Robert E. Lee ever did as much. In fact, any opposition to slavery by Lee was just lip service. Lincoln took action --before the war.
It is simply incorrrect to say that Lincoln only adopted opposition to slavery as as war measure. The record simply will not support that.
Walt