In 1862, Abraham Lincoln addressed congress with words from his inaugural address. He wanted to express that slavery is the primary dispute between the two sections, and that his desire was always to keep the Union together. And so Lincoln repeated these words:
"One section of our country believes slavery is right and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute. Physically speaking, we can not separate. We can not remove our respective sections from each other nor build an impassable wall between them. A husband and wife may be divorced and go out of the presence and beyond the reach of each other, but the different parts of our country can not do this."
Abraham Lincoln believed that disunion would not make things better regarding slavery but worse, even for the South. Lincoln believed that In the South, foreign slave trade would be fully revived, while the North would never surrender any fugitive slaves. As Lincoln put it, "Can aliens make treaties easier than friends can make laws?"
Abraham Lincoln continued:
"There is no possible severing of this but would multiply and not mitigate evils among us ... In this view I recommend the adoption of the following resolution and articles amendatory to the Constitution of the United States ... Every State wherein slavery now exists which shall abolish the same therein at any time or times before the 1st day of January., A. D. 1900, shall receive compensation from the United States ..."
Just one month later on January 1st 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation proclamation, and in one pen stroke changed the legal status of three million slaves.
Just one month later on January 1st 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation proclamation, and in one pen stroke changed the legal status of three million slaves.
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