Abraham Lincoln had a strong hatred for slavery but was not an advocate of abolition. He believed that slavery was morally corrupt and should be limited to expanding, but because of his allegiance to the Constitution, he had no aim to interfere. In 1854, the Kansas Nebraska Act helped convince the southern states to conclude that Lincoln intended to end slavery. The majority of the southern states had seceded because they believed that they were being deprived of their property. Lincoln had attempted to persuade the southern states to rejoin the Union by accentuating that his motive was not to end slavery where it existed, but to only stop it from spreading. It had caused more controversy. The secession of the southern states had jeopardized the Union, therefore it pressured Lincoln to take any necessary action in order to reunify the Country. Lincoln became compelled to develop new policies due to the arising conflict of slavery during the war. Throughout the war, he had developed new beliefs on slavery and emancipation. Lincoln had no intention to intervene with slavery at the beginning of the war; however, towards the end of the war, he had realized that preserving the Union was as significant as emancipating all slaves in areas where there was rebellion against the government. .
Lincoln's past profession as a lawyer led him to become law-abiding, initiating how in order to preserve the Union, slavery would remain untouched. Moreover, Lincoln's penchant for following the rules had blinded him from doing what was morally correct. Slavery was sheltered by the Constitution, which prevented him from making hasty actions in regarding to slavery. Therefore, his only attempt would be to stop it from spreading. He had asserted that he had "no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.
