It was not that Lincoln wanted slavery preserved, he said he is naturally anti-slavery, however as president, he was bound by the Constitution, which protected the institution of slavery in the states. ... The three-fifths clause of the Constitution allowed five slaves to account for three persons for purposes of determining the number of congressional seats in each state which seemed, in Lincoln's opinion, unfair to the states to the North. In his famous speech at Peoria, Illinois, he states: "But in ascertaining the number of the people, for this purpose five slaves are counted as ...

• Word Count: 2007
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Graduate