On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln was voted president of the United States. In Abraham Lincoln’s first Inaugural address, he discusses the apprehension and outrage the southern states felt towards his accession as President. Lincoln declared that it was his obligation to uphold the Union. He also avowed that he had no intent of ending slavery where it existed, or of abolishing the Fugitive Slave Law. “I have 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,” said Lincoln. Nevertheless, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas split from the union, and elected Jefferson Davis as their President. Shortly after his second inaugural address, the confederacy attacked Fort Sumter and the Civil war had begun. Following the attack, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Arkansas seceded. …show more content…
In his second Inaugural address, Lincoln says, “Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.” This statement proves that the war was inevitable and neither side would concede to the other. The initial goal for the north in the Civil War was to preserve the union, but over time the purpose changed. As the war continued, it was clear that the north would lose the war if something didn’t change. Towards the middle of the war, the new Union goal was to unify the states under a union where slavery was no longer