Lincoln and Slavery

The issue of slavery was a complicated one, that Lincoln had to deal with throughout his political career. From boyhood he was opposed to slavery. But, when he ran for president in 1860, he was not an abolitionist. He believed that in due course slavery would go away. He believed, in accordance with the Missouri Compromise of 1820, that new territories should be free but that existing states and territories should be allowed to continue slavery. . Since he took a middle ground, he was disliked by both abolitionists and those favoring slavery. His position on slavery changed during the Civil War. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which freed the slaves in the 11 seceded states. He didn't think he had the authority to free all slaves. However, he urged Congress to amend the Constitution so as to ban all slavery. This was accomplished by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which became law December 6, 1865.