Union Goals

The Union had two main goals throughout the war. However, the second goal did not become official until later in the war. At first the North's goal was to restore the Union. In order to complete this goal the North had to invade the South and force the states that seceded to rejoin the Union and forget states' rights. Later in the war Lincoln changed the North's main goal to putting an end to slavery everywhere in the United States. He made it very clear that if the North won, slavery would disappear in the United States forever.