Thank you for your thoughtful response. Lincoln like many others including Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and George Washington, expressed their "dislike" for slavery and did nothing to end it. George did free his own slaves upon his death though it left Martha in a quandry because her slaves, many of them married to or otherwise related to his were still there, unable by a quirk in the law to be freed until her death. She must have viewed them as drooling lions and eventually freed them anyway, perhaps to keep them from ending her life prematurely.

Jefferson only freed I believe four during his lifetime. He freed a few of Sally Hemings children in his will, didn't free Sally, and most all the rest were sold to pay off the humongous debt related to the monuments to himself at Monticello and in Charlottesville.

Ihave friends that like to give Lincoln more credit than I do. He made several statements about not wishing to end slavery and I'll take him at his word. He also believed that freedmen would not readily get along with their former masters and advocated sending slaves to Liberia or Central America. HE tried convincing Frederick Douglas and other Black leaders to agree but was soundly rejected.

I'm writing a piece right now about when slavery actually ended. I look forward to your feedback.