Abraham Lincoln entered the presidency, and ended up with a lot on his plate. The issues of slavery, as well as having half the union want to break off and do there own thing. This was a big problem. Being only one man, Lincoln could not attack everything, so he chose the union. Originally, thought Lincoln was a major supporter of putting an end to slavery, he felt that equality and slavery may be able to coexist for some time. However he did not know how long. In a letter he wrote in 1855 he stated, "Our political problem now is 'Can we, as a nation, continue together permanently—forever—half slave, and half free?' The problem is too mighty for me. May God, in his mercy, superintend the solution." This gives an insight into what was going on in Lincolns mind. He did not know how long it could last; but he knew it could. Due to this reason, he must have felt that the union was the more important task for him to try and tackle. If he could bring back the unity that the United States had once had, he would be able to find out a way to bring down slavery, so that equality and slavery no longer had to coexist. Also, if he could bring unity back to the union, though slavery would still be a problem, he may be able to prevent war. Thus saving lives.
Though his plans did not end up going smoothly, it was the right plan to make.
