You may now graduate to the FR Secession threads, otherwise known as the "Second American Civil War." [SACW]
LOL
If you think we have trouble staying in bounds on the Keyes threads, just try the SACW threads!
Seriously, though, Lincoln was the model Declarationist, and he was neither an abolitionist nor a defender of secession. The rebellion of 1860-1 tried to overturn a Constitutionally authorized election in order to preserve and extend human slavery, violating both Constitutionalist and Declarationist principles. The Rebellion was a violation of the law which Lincoln was sworn to uphold, and the Rebels fired first, on the US flag over US property in Charleston Harbor.
Lincoln maintained that all his actions were in accord with the Constitution, esp. the Emancipation Proclamation and the suspension of Habeas Corpus. If he undertook any action not authorized by the Constitution, he was in error. He did not understand himself to have done so.
The national memory, as witnessed by holidays, monuments, the currency, and the like testifies to a consensus view of his rectitude and greatness.
At DF, we take him as the paradigm Declarationist Statesman, and we argue for this position in our book.
Cheers,
Richard F.