If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; 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.
In a letter to Horace Greeley, Lincoln clarified his paramount objective during the Civil War regarding the Union and slavery.
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I do the very best I know how--the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end.
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