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The cabinet members had differing opinions on the Emancipation Proclamation from "summary" of Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The cabinet members were sharply divided over the Emancipation Proclamation. Some, like Secretary of State William H. Seward, believed that the timing was not right for such a bold move. Seward argued that it would be wiser to wait until the Union had achieved a decisive military victory before issuing the proclamation. He feared that if the proclamation was issued prematurely, it might be seen as a sign of desperation and weaken the Union's position. On the other hand, Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase was a staunch advocate for the immediate issuance of the proclamation. Chase believed that it was not only a moral imperative to abolish slavery but also a strategic necessity to deprive the Confederacy of its most valuable asset - slave labor. He argued that by freeing the slaves, the Union would undermine the Confederacy's economy and weaken its war effort. Attorney General Edward Bates fell somewhere in between Seward and Chase. Bates was not opposed to the idea of emancipation but was concerned about the constitutionality of the proclamati...
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