Explain why it took so long for The President to declare that slaves were free men? I think it wasn’t until the last year of the war. Doesn’t sound like he was fighting to free them until then. From a Northern point of view it was about money.
I swear, you guys bitch about Lincoln being such a dictator, then you criticize him for not being more dictatorial.
The reality was that since slavery was written in the Constitution, it would require a constitutional amendment to end slavery in states that weren't in rebellion. Lincoln pressed for one, but it was consistently blocked by the Democrats in congress until after the election of November, 1864 increased the Republican bloc that would enter office with the next congress . At that point, a few of the lame duck Democrats, apparently worried about their legacy,suddenly found the moral courage to switch sides and support the amendment, allowing it to pass and be sent to the states.
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued under Lincoln's authority at Commander in Chief, could only apply to the areas in rebellion. Lincoln first announced the Proclamation in September, 1862, 17 months after the war began. Previously, in April of 1862, he'd gotten Congress to abolish slavery within the District of Columbia, since no amendment was required there.