In a special message to the people on July 4th, 1861, President Abraham lincoln said that the United States had been an experiment, and two points have already been settled. The successful establishment of it, and administering of it. He said that the only thing remaining was the maintenance of it against an attempt to overthrow it. Lincoln wanted to show to the world that a nation with a fair election can also suppress a rebellion, and that war was not the proper response to a lost election, but more votes (gienapp 75) . While some may think that Lincoln 's goal in the Civil War was to end slavery, however I think there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that he wanted the issue to be settled democratically in …show more content…
In his inaugural address, Lincoln quoted himself saying that he had no lawful right to interfere with slavery and had no intention on doing so. He assured everyone that he was not after their property and the security of their property was never in danger. Lincoln was elected in a time when his rival party, the democrats, had the majority in congress, so even if he did want to free all the slaves, congress wouldn’t let him. In his inaugural address, Lincoln also reminds everyone that they live in a democratic nation, with democratic process. He says that unanimity is impossible, and if the minority rejects majority rule, then anarchy is all that is left. It is my opinion that Lincoln really shouldn’t have had to worry about secession, because it would only speed up the process of emancipation. If the southern states wanted to fight for slavery, they should do so legally, with the vote. When I first learned that states seceded even though Lincoln said he won’t interfere with slavery, and they had a majority in Congress, I was baffled. It reminded me of days in elementary school, when we played football during recess. When picking teams,