Maybe free men wouldn't have lost if enslaved men were free as well. So I'm sure you'll understand that I'm less than sympathetic. Besides, Lincoln didn't really free anyone for what it's worth and the fight wasn't over slavery.
At any rate, it's 2002. That's Two Thousand and Two. The 21st Century. I like it here. I don't want to go back to the 19th Century.
So, can we stay here in the present, please?
It's actually the other way around. Maybe enslaved men wouldn't have been freed if free men hadn't been as free as they were. Loss of liberty for anyone is bad for everyone. We have the same constitution in the present that we had in the nineteenth century. It's interpretation is in part based on precedent. A precedent was set that resulted in the emancipation of slaves. A dangerous precedent was set that resulted in a loss of liberty for everyone.