Describe the political goals of the Union and Confederacy at the beginning of the war.

The political goal of the Union was to preserve the Union.
President Lincoln took the position from the beginning that the Confederate States did
not have the right to leave the Union, and in fact never had; rather they were simply
"in rebellion. In fact, few people realize that in the annals of U.S. History, the
official name of the Civil War is "The War of the
Rebellion."

The primary goal of the Confederacy was to gain
recognition by France and more importantly, Great Britain. Britain purchased a
tremendous amount of southern cotton the proceeds of which funded the war for the South.
At such time as they gained recognition from Britain, they could expect more aid from
Britain; there was even the possibility that Britain might come into the war on the side
of the South to protect its economic interests. This idea was not only practical, it was
also a concern for Lincoln. Aside from all the high sounding oratory about the
Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln's primary purpose was to prevent Britain from
supporting the South. Britain had outlawed slavery, and by issuing the
Proclamation--which only freed slaves in states
in rebellion,
Lincoln forced Britain into a moral dilemma.