As the Civil War began, President Lincoln accepted the belief that

Question

individual states should settle the question of slavery.
it was time to end slavery throughout the United States.
the Union could be preserved as a mix of free and slave states.
preserving the Union was not worth the loss of life it would cause.

Answer 1

As the Civil War began, President Lincoln accepted the belief that the Union could be preserved as a mix of free and slave states. Initially, Lincoln's primary goal was to maintain the Union, and he approached the issue of slavery with a belief in allowing states to decide their own status regarding slavery. Over time, his views evolved, particularly with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which shifted the focus toward ending slavery as a war aim.