Abraham Lincoln: “Let Them Go or Force them to Stay?”

When President Abraham Lincoln came into power, he was faced with the unexpected national emergency of thirteen southern states declaring themselves seceded from the Union and forming their own nation, the Confederate States of America. He had to either save the union or let it dissolve. Lincoln opted for the option of using the armed forces to force the South to stay in the union. The military potion was necessary to prevent seceding states from taking over federal military installations and confiscating weapons, ships, vital ports and forts. Lincoln’s choice of the military was a better option as he would not allow the expansion of slavery to even one more state, given his strong opposition to slavery.