132k views
3 votes
President Lincoln did not include union border states in the Emancipation Proclamation because he wanted what

User Hung Quach
by
5.7k points

2 Answers

4 votes
Contrary to what many people believe the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves, it only ordered that the slaves in rebellious states be free. The Union border states still had slaves and would not have gone along with the Union if the Emancipation Proclamation. President Lincoln knew this but he needed their support for the Union, so he made sure that it didn't include their states; therefore the border states didn't have anything to lose by siding with the Union.
I hope this helped!
User Rents
by
6.0k points
4 votes

Answer: Lincoln wanted to keep the border states loyal to the Union.

Context/explanation:

While Lincoln personally was strongly against slavery, he had to tread carefully in his role as president and commander-in-chief. As The History Channel points out, Lincoln was "worried about the support of the four border slave states." Those border states, which remained in the Union though they were states that permitted slavery, were Maryland, Missouri, Delaware, and Kentucky. Lincoln wanted to keep those states loyal to the Union cause.

User Rati
by
5.1k points