As indicated in his response to Horace Greeley's call for emancipation, Abraham Lincoln's primary goal was to _____________.

A) win re-election in 1864
B) punish Confederate officials
C) guarantee equality for freed slaves
D) save the Union

In his response to Horace Greeley's call for emancipation, Lincoln stated that his primary goal was to save the Union. While he believed that slavery was a moral wrong, his priority was to bring an end to the Civil War and restore national unity. It was not until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the 13th Amendment in 1865 that Lincoln's actions directly addressed the issue of slavery and the quest for equality for freed slaves. However, even these measures were taken with the goal of preserving the Union in mind.