President Lincoln proclaimed emancipation for slaves. This led to the American Civil War (1861-1865), also known as the War Between the States. The war was a disconnect of communication in many ways. The Confederate States were fighting over the unconstitutional power-grab by the Federal Government. They assumed that the other side understood that. The United States was fighting against slavery, and they assumed that the Confederates understood that. The reality was that President Lincoln, probably never became a Christian until the Gettysburg Address, June 1, 1865. Yet he did pursue something that followers of Christ had been trying to promote for a long time. The person who wrote the hymn, Amazing Grace, had been very instrumental in abolishing slavery in Great Britain some years earlier. In Britain, deadly force was not used.

 How the U.S. Constitution came to allow for slavery