Lincoln’s greatest political fear was that the schism fronted by abolitionists was likely to divide the country into slaveholding and non-slaveholding states. Passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act only served to intensify the abolitionist movement, and although Lincoln supported abolition, he was afraid the tactics being employed threatened national unity. He sought to leave slavery undisturbed in the areas it already existed, but at the same time, he tried to stop its spread.
As he took over the presidency of the United States, his worst fears became manifest; South Carolina officially seceded and was soon joined by other pro-slavery states. After the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, Lincoln had no choice but to marshal Union troops to arrest the rebellion. After extensive maneuvering by the president, the war was won, and the Union survived.
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