We Are The UNITED States, After All.

Lincoln had the right idea. Think about: "United we stand." Although slavery was an apparent issue that was definitely in need of being addressed, the main concern for Lincoln was maintaining what was left of our country at that point, and with good reason. Before he could have taken care of the rights of the citizens, he had to make sure there were citizens at all. With the Confederacy in a state or rebellion, keeping control over the part of the country still in tact was imperative. With the Union preserved, it was less messy, more likely to defeat the South, and restore our country as a whole.