Aug. 22, 1862: President Lincoln told a New York newspaper that preserving the Union was his main goal of the Civil War — not abolishing slavery.
"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all slaves I would do it," Lincoln said.
The comments were in response to an open letter to the president by Horace Greeley, a well-known journalist of the day.
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You can read both Greeley's letter and Lincoln's response here.
Quote of the day
"We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it." -Abraham Lincoln
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