My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or… — Abraham Lincoln

My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destory slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.