After the Battle of Antietam the President Abraham Lincoln was able to redefine his objectives. While the war initially being fought to preserve the union after the Battle of Antietam President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which the goal of abolishing slavery in the United States.
He did not do this because of his opposition to slavery, he did it to strengthen his opportunity to preserve the Union. The Proclamation did not free any slaves, but it did prevent France and England from supporting the southern states.
It also motivated nearly 200.000 slaves to take up arms and join the Union Army. Lincoln used the proclamation to enhance his chances of winning the war. He used the issue of slavery to accomplish his number one objective which was to preserve and strengthen the Union.
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