“There are those who are dissatisfied with me. To such I would say: You desire peace; and you blame me that we do not have it. But how can we attain it? . . .
“But to be plain, you are dissatisfied with me about the Negro. . . . You dislike the emancipation proclamation; and, perhaps, would have it retracted. You say it is unconstitutional—I think differently. I think the Constitution invests its commander-in-chief, with the law of war, in time of war. The most that can be said, if so much, is, that slaves are property. Is there—has there ever been—any question that by the law of war, property, both of enemies and friends, may be taken when needed? And is it not needed whenever taking it, helps us, or hurts the enemy? . . .
“You say you will not fight to free Negroes. Some of them seem willing to fight for you. . . . I issued the proclamation on purpose to aid you in saving the Union. . . . Why should they do anything for us, if we will do nothing for them? If they stake their lives for us, they must be prompted by the strongest motive—even the promise of freedom. And the promise being made, must be kept.”
President Abraham Lincoln, letter to James Conkling explaining why he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863
Question
The phrase in the excerpt “Some of them seem willing to fight for you” could most likely be interpreted as having which of the following purposes?
Responses
Authorizing the policy of total war by Union generals in fighting in the South
Authorizing the policy of total war by Union generals in fighting in the South
Addressing the difficulties of feeding runaway enslaved people at military encampments
Addressing the difficulties of feeding runaway enslaved people at military encampments
Acknowledging the shuffling of commanding officers in the Union army
Acknowledging the shuffling of commanding officers in the Union army
Highlighting the enlistment of formerly enslaved people into the Union army