avery issues wereat its most debated, Lincoln still looked for national unityover emancipation of the slaves. First of ll, the CrittedenResolution, which declared that the war with the secededstates was not based on conquest or subjugation, had failed.Secondly, Lincoln’s plan of compensated emancipation hadalso failed. Lincoln had an alternative idea of dealingwith the Negro. By colonizing the Negroes in CentralAmerica, Lincoln would be doing two things: one unifying thenation, and secondly was allowing more work for the freewhite worker. But this also failed. Lincoln was not in atough predicament. Losing popular sentiment amongNortherners, Lincoln had to take an alternative position,something that he had never wanted to do, side with anti-slavery. “Until I felt that we had reached the end of ourrope on the plan of operations we had been pursuing; that wehad played our last cards, and must change our tactics, orlose the game. I know determined upon the adoption of theemancipation policy.” (Hofstadter, pg. 169).Once Lincoln’soriginal plan had failed he had no choice but to looktowards emancipation, otherwise national unitywould be impossible. This was the basis for Lincoln’sEmancipation Proclamation.The Emancipation proclamation was written in 1863, in atime when northerners felt that the Civil War was coming toan end. Most importantly, for the unity of the nation,Lincoln used this document as a military necessity. Thisdocument in other terms was also a justification of theCivil War. It states that such a war had taken placebecause certain states had joined in an armed rebellionagainst the unity of the United States. Lincoln was a manwho seized on timely events to emphasize his point. AsLincoln states himself, “I claim not to have controlledevents but confess plainly that events have controlled me”. (Hofstadter, pg. 171). Thus, Lincoln’s original intent wasnever the emancipati...
