I have no bone fides to defend such a great man as Abraham Lincoln. And, those with rigid minds will not change them even in the face of the facts. That said, I'd like to point out a couple of facts: 1) Abraham Lincoln WAS anti-slave. You can read about it in his writings and his debates. His opinion was that everyone who believes in the right of slavery should try it on for himself. He did back away from this stance when he ran for president, in order to win. Yet, he did win. Others, who were more anti-slave, never achieved the presidential-level power to correct the evil of slavery. He did. 2) The Emancipation Proclamation was an amazing accomplishment. Lincoln's advisors warned him that a) it wouldn't free any slaves; b) it would irratate southern supporters; c) it would be repealed by the Supreme Court as soon as the war ended. The reason it affected just Confederate states is because he ONLY had power as commander-in-chief to impose martial law on the rebels. The Northern states (with the exception of the border states) had already freed their slaves. In fact, after the signing of the proclamation, only four border states were legally allowed to own slaves. Lincoln then pushed for the thirteenth amendment that freed all slaves. The bottom line is that the Civil War was about States' Rights until President Lincoln made it about Slavery with the proclamation. 3) Gen Robert E. Lee never owned slaves because he had plenty of enlisted troops to act as his slaves. Yet, there was never an indication he was pro-slave. In fact, President Lincoln once asked Lee to lead Union forces. Lee refused because he was a Virginian first and an American second. Lee was one of America's greatest generals and he was beaten by Abraham Lincoln. On which side was God?