If the Civil War was fought over slavery then why was the emancipation proclamation issued 17 months…?
The Emancipation Proclamation was a military measure. In order to understand why it was not issued earlier one needs to understand the political situation with regards to abolition in the North. Lincoln was far from a tyrant, as some would have you falsely believe, he was an adept politician. While the Emancpation Decree did not free any of the slaves in the areas controlled by the Union, it did prevent Britain and/or France from officially recognizing and/or supporting the Confederate States of America. Neither nation would come to the aid of the Confederacy once Slavery was made an issue. The Civil War officially began as a the “War of the Rebellion” fought by the North to preserve the Union, later Emancipation was proclaimed at a very desperate time militarily and diplomatically. Lincoln was a democratically-elected President, both in 1860 and 1864. Any words you might read about him being a “tyrant” are indeed, quite laughable.
