s. Without a doubt Lincoln, being the “politician” he is, set things in motion to rebuke the South’s attempts for European support. In August of 1861 the Confiscation Act was passed which gave northern troops the authority to capture any slaves, as well as any property, used towards the rebellion and they would be considered “captives of war” thus granting them no freedom of any kind. Such a conservative bill was passed because Lincoln did not want to offend any of the Northern Democrats but at the same time appease the Radicals within the Republican Party who had been demanding emancipation. “With every new northern setback, support for the Radicals’ stance grew” (Enduring Vision, p. 421). Almost one year after passing the original Confiscation Act a second one stating that all slaves who crossed into Union hands from the Confederacy were freed forever. Lincoln was giving in little by little to keep the masses happy but he was still a little leery about the emancipation of the slaves. He told one reporter, “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery,” (Enduring Vision, p. 421). After great consideration and discussion with the cabinet Lincoln decided to make a move that would change the war from then on. He made it known to the public that on January 1, 1863 all slaves in the Confederacy would be freed. One minor flaw in this bill was that it only freed the slaves in the South and not in the North. Lincoln did this to ensure that the border states would not separate from the Union as well and join in the fight to hang on to slavery. With the Emancipation Proclamation in tact Lincoln now gained the support of England who was strongly opposed to slavery thus cutting off any southern opportunities for aid from the Brits.The election of 1864 was coming soon and Lincoln’s chances of being re-elected were looking gri...
