When Abraham Lincoln campaigned for his presidential election, an essential element of his platform was a pro-abolitionist stance. In other words, that slavery should cease to expand. The election was held in late 1860, and Lincoln was voted in as president; however, he did not begin serving as president until March 1861.
On this day February 8th, in 1861, 11 Southern states form the Confederate States of America. The formation of the Confederate States was a response to Lincoln’s winning the presidential election, and Jefferson Davis became the president of the Confederate States. The core issue was whether slavery would be allowed or not in the United States. The 11 Southern states led by General Robert E. Lee were pro-slavery, and the much larger 25 Northern states led by Ulysses S. Grant were pro-abolition.
It was not until January 1st, in 1863, when Lincoln published the Proclamation of Emancipation, that the North truly took its stance freeing all slaves. Up until then the Southern states would have been allowed to retain the slaves they had. The conflict sprung from the slavery policy of the new states inducted into the union, like Kansas (Bleeding Kansas). Post Civil War, in December of 1865, slavery was made illegal by the 13th Amendment of the American Constitution.