The great emancipator?

Lucy Worsley’s analysis of the motivations of Abraham Lincoln ( Lincoln and Slavery, November) is absolutely correct. He was a great president who did eventually champion the emancipation of the slaves, but his initial intent was above all to prevent the breakup of the union. While colleagues such as Salmon P Chase and William H Seward were dedicated opponents of slavery, Lincoln was prepared to take a much less moral stance if he believed it would end the secession.

The barbarity of slavery made it necessary for the Confederacy to be defeated, but Lincoln undoubtedly regarded the issue as secondary to his desire to prevent any state leaving the USA, so he is perhaps less deserving of the title of ‘the great emancipator’ than many believe. Colin Bullen, Kent