What if Lincoln had made a Non-Emancipation Proclamation?

[hoosier]

As noted in another thread, Lincoln once stated that if he could preserve the Union by freeing all the slaves, he would do it; if he could preserve the Union by freeing none of the slaves, he would free none of them; and if he could preserve the Union by freeing some of the slaves but not others, he would do that.

What if Lincoln had made a Non-Emancipation Proclamation, saying to the South, in effect, "OK, you guys can keep your slaves. You can come back into the Union now, and everything will be the same as before, except we won't bother you any more about the slavery issue?"

We can infer, from the fact that Lincoln did not, in fact, take such an action, that he did not think it would be effective in preserving the Union (since, otherwise, he would have done it).

Does anyone disagree with Lincoln and believe that such a proclamation would have ended the war and brought the Confederate states back into the Union? If so, when would such a proclamation have been most likely to achieve that result?

For those who agree with Lincoln and believe that such a proclamation would not have restored the Union, what factors do you think would have caused the proclamation to fail to achieve that result?

Lincoln, did make just about, that exact offer, to the south, before he was elected. One of the sore points, that the south had against him, was where he stated, that the states, that had slavery, could keep it, but as new states, would enter the union, they would all be free states.

If after leaving the union, if Lincoln, had said to the south, that they could keep slavery, and not be bothered about it anymore, providing that the south would come back, to the union. I don't think, that they would have returned, tempers, had reached the point of no return. The south probably would have said to Lincoln, No thanks, we can be our own nation, and keep our slaves to.

[iron_brigade]

George,

Charles is absolutely right.The Civil War was not a war of Yankee/Lincoln agression.The cotton state rebellion was treated as a political crisis by the North, not a war.The Confederacy was responsible for the war by firing on Fort Sumter.Your hypothetical question begins with a false premise.

Regards,
Greg

[5fish]

What if after Sharpsburg and the carnage from that battle cause Lincoln to capitulate to negotiate terms in which slavery would be protected forever and the confederacy to rejoin the union.

If Davis would have gone for it maybe not in 1862 but maybe the end of 1863 as the war in the west was turning bad for the south. Would Lincoln a over a year later have still negotiate with the south?


What if ....