A reader told me in person of a friend who took issue with my take of the Civil War, the War Between the States, or as the South rightly says, Lincoln’s Invasion.
Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address (https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/lincoln1.asp) is quite clear and I add emphasis:
“… there needs to be no bloodshed or violence, and there shall be none unless it be forced upon the national authority. The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the Government and to collect the duties and imposts; but beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among the people anywhere.”
This links up to what is in the Republican Platform of 1860 which was expanded from the 1856 platform to increase taxes (https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/republican-party-platform-1860). I quote with emphasis:
“12. That, while providing revenue for the support of the general government by duties upon imports, sound policy requires such an adjustment of these imports as to encourage the development of the industrial interests of the whole country; and we commend that policy of national exchanges, which secures to the workingmen liberal wages, to agriculture remunerative prices, to mechanics and manufacturers an adequate reward for their skill, labor, and enterprise, and to the nation commercial prosperity and independence.“
1856 Republican platform had no mention of imports and can be viewed at: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/republican-party-platform-1856
Yet, some mention the Lincoln-Douglas debates (https://www.nps.gov/liho/learn/historyculture/debates.htm). Yes, these debates were important, but it was only part of the reason Lincoln would be elected president. These debates were not during the presidential campaign but over the 1858 Illinois US Senate campaign, and Lincoln lost this Senate race, just as John C. Fremont lost his Presidential election in 1856.
The efforts to abolish slavery was a movement, not a political party. The Republican Party is a coalition. There is a difference between the two but many seem to forget this. A political party can bring about achievements but often, a political party is merely a useful tool of coalition building and is open and more fraternal. A movement can be broadly idealistic and can be more patient yet more strident in pushing for change in the future. There will always be some form of conflict between the two.
By expanding the Republican platform between 1856 and 1860, Republicans broadened their base but only narrowly. Abolitionists would stay true to their cause and marshal on during war while at the same time, Republicans would become elected to marshal in the abolishing of slavery. Yes, this may be a bit of an oversimplification but it explains why abolitionists routinely took issue with President Lincoln (https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=histfac), yet people have forgotten this past quarrel.