14. Abraham Lincoln Always Opposed Slavery
Abraham Lincoln is often remembered as the Great Emancipator, but his views on slavery were more nuanced than legend suggests. For much of his political career, Lincoln’s main focus was preventing the expansion of slavery into new territories, not immediate nationwide abolition. He believed in containing slavery where it already existed, hoping it would eventually die out. Only as the Civil War progressed did Lincoln’s stance shift toward outright abolition, culminating in the Emancipation Proclamation and his push for the 13th Amendment.
