Final answer:
Lincoln's trade-off as executor of laws involved balancing the political and military necessities of the Union with the ethical need for emancipation and post-war reconstruction, a policy that sought gradual abolition without alienating Border States or divisive elements in the North.
Step-by-step explanation:
Abraham Lincoln faced a complex trade-off as the executor of laws during the Civil War. The president had to balance the Union's political and military goals with the moral imperative of emancipation and the practical matters of reconstruction. Lincoln's challenge was crafting a policy that would both undermine slavery and preserve the Union without pushing the Border States to secede or inciting further division within the North. His approach combined military uses of black labor through the Confiscation Acts and gradual emancipation, leading to the Emancipation Proclamation. He hoped for voluntary acceptance of emancipation in the Border States, though Congressional Republicans often disagreed with his methods, leading to political conflict over the control of reunification efforts. Lincoln's attempts to gradually transition away from the slave labor system proved challenging as he faced resistance and varying opinions on how to restore the nation after the war.