You couldn’t be more wrong about Lincoln’s views on slavery. For his entire political career he was against slavery. There are literally hundreds of examples of this in his own writings, speeches, and written accounts of other people who saw him speak. You really need to educate yourself, you are looking more foolish with every post. I will attempt to help you by posting Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley in it’s entirety. Do read it to the very end.
Executive Mansion,
Washington, August 22, 1862.
Hon. Horace Greeley:
Dear Sir.
I have just read yours of the 19th. addressed to myself through the New-York Tribune. If there be in it any statements, or assumptions of fact, which I may know to be erroneous, I do not, now and here, controvert them. If there be in it any inferences which I may believe to be falsely drawn, I do not now and here, argue against them. If there be perceptable in it an impatient and dictatorial tone, I waive it in deference to an old friend, whose heart I have always supposed to be right.
As to the policy I “seem to be pursuing” as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt.
I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be “the Union as it was.” If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. 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. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views.
I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free.
Yours,
A. Lincoln.
I couldn't be more wrong about the fact that Lincoln tolerated Union slavery for the entire duration of the war? Oh, you put the word "Views" in there, as if we are supposed to draw a distinction between what Lincoln said and what he did in fact do.
Yes, Lincoln's rhetoric was all about being against slavery, but his actions were to tolerate it in areas under his control, and he did so for the entire war. He also supported the Corwin amendment which would have made it far harder to ever get rid of slavery. He also attempted to reassure the Southerners that he would do nothing to eliminate slavery if they would just stop fighting and rejoin the Union.
I'm sure Lincoln's preference was to get rid of it, but his pragmatism made it clear that he was willing to live with it indefinitely.