Lincoln did not have the__________ to free the slaves in the Union on his own

Answer 1

Lincoln did not have the authority to free the slaves in the Union on his own. While he was the President and had significant powers, the issue of slavery was deeply entrenched in legal and societal structures, and it required careful political maneuvering and legislative action to address. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Lincoln in 1863, freed slaves in the Confederate states but did not immediately free those in the Union's border states. Full abolition required the passage of the 13th Amendment.