Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865; see entry in volume 2) favored gradual emancipation of slaves, a program that could keep the Union intact while moving toward ending the institution of slavery. When Southern states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America (CSA) after Lincoln's election, he was careful to focus his actions as president on preserving the Union. However, the Confederate states had united against what they felt were unfair policies of the federal government and the prospect that the expansion of slavery would be stopped and then the institution itself would be ended. When the military of the Confederacy fired upon Fort Sumter in April of 1861, President Lincoln summoned federal military power against what he considered an act of aggression. The Civil War began with these incidents.

While the war was being fought, Lincoln wanted to pursue his policy of gradual emancipation...