“My enemies say I am now carrying on this war for the sole purpose of abolition. It is and will be carried on so long as I am President for the sole purpose of restoring the Union. But no human power can subdue this rebellion without using the Emancipation lever as I have done.”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel. And yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling.”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“I know as fully as one can know the opinions of others, that some of the commanders of our armies in the field who have given us our most important successes, believe the emancipation policy, and the use of colored troops, constitute the heaviest blow yet dealt to the rebellion; and that, at least o…”— Abraham Lincoln, quod.lib.umich.edu
“The Republican principle, the unalterable principle, never to be lost sight of, is that slavery is wrong.”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“I have always hated slavery, I think as much as any Abolitionist.”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“You think slavery is right and should be extended; while we think slavery is wrong and ought to be restricted. That I suppose is the rub. It certainly is the only substantial difference between us.”— Abraham Lincoln, rogerjnorton.com
“John Brown's effort was peculiar. It was not a slave insurrection. It was an attempt by white men to get up a revolt among slaves, in which the slaves refused to participate.”— Abraham Lincoln, abrahamlincolnonline.org