Lincoln was a traitor to the constitution and he did not "free the slaves". The emancipation proclamation only abolished slavery in the states that were not under union rule. The fact that he declared war on the southern states without the ratification of congress makes him a dictator. The fact that he ignored the right of a state to separate itself from the union makes him a tyrant. That particular war of northern aggression was fought because the cost of cotton was held at 10 cents a pound so that the northerns states could produce finished goods cheaper than could be imported while the brokers in New York would sell the cotton to England for $1.89 and the southern states were not allowed to sell on the open market. The south left because their right to exist was being controlled by a corrupt federal government. Slavery wasn't even an issue until after the war had been going on for over a year.