Question

If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. Based on this excerpt, what was Lincoln’s position on ending slavery? 1. He would end slavery if doing so would save the United States. 2. He would end slavery if slaves agreed to join the Union army. 3. He would end slavery if northern factories agreed to employ former slaves. 4. He would end slavery if all prisoners of war were freed.

Answer 1

1. He would end slavery if doing so would save the United States.

Step-by-step explanation:

The text above shows Linconl's position on slavery. When reading this excerpt, we can see that his main concern was the integrity and functioning of the union and that the situation of the slaves would be decided according to what was best for the country.

With that we can conclude that Linconl defended the freedom of the slaves, as long as it saved the USA. However, if slavery were the best for the country, it would also allow that to happen.