Was abraham lincoln an abolitionist?

Abraham Lincoln and slavery. Abraham Lincoln's position on slavery is one of the most discussed issues in American history. Lincoln often expressed moral opposition to slavery in public and private. As early as the 1850s, Lincoln had been politically attacked as an abolitionist, but he did not consider himself one. read more

Lincoln, in collaboration with abolitionist Congressman Joshua R. Giddings, wrote a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia with compensation for the owners, enforcement to capture fugitive slaves, and a popular vote on the matter. read more

Lincoln wasn’t an abolitionist. Lincoln did believe that slavery was morally wrong, but there was one big problem: It was sanctioned by the highest law in the land, the Constitution. read more

And, more than anything, historians say, what changed between the first year of the war, when Lincoln was silent on the subject of slavery, and the second, when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, was the political climate. read more