USA HISTORY

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR(1861 1865)

THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION

[SOURCES]
What was Lincoln’s main goal during the Civil War?

(A) To abolish slavery in the US

(B) To stop slavery from spreading west

(C) ** To preserve the unity of the country

(D) To get Europe to support the north in the war

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -Abraham Lincoln’s chief goal in the American Civil War was to preserve the Union. At the outset of the war, he would have done so at any cost, including by allowing slavery to continue.

Concept note-2: -We often associate the Civil War with the end of slavery-and for good reason. But Lincoln’s primary goal in going to war was to save the Union, slavery or not. The Emancipation Proclamation changed the equation. The Civil War began on April 12, 1861.

Concept note-3: -The Civil War began as a purely military effort with limited political objectives. The North was fighting for reunification, and the South for independence. But as the war progressed, the Civil War gradually turned into a social, economic and political revolution with unforeseen consequences.

Concept note-4: -Lincoln’s main goal was to preserve the union, and make sure the confederates didn’t leave the union. His main goal at the end of the war was to abolish slavery throughout the United States.