Lincoln's primary obligation was to defend and protect the
Constitution, not to use the military power of his office to push the
political agenda of his cabinet. I assume that as a public school teacher
you are at least somewhat familiar with the Constitution? It's an old
document with a bunch of amendments housed down at the National Archives a
couple blocks from here.
I would respectfully suggest that you go over it with your classes
sometime. I am surprised it is not an absolute requirement of the
educational system that students are at least as familiar with it as the
lives of Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Marion Barry.
JDS
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