After the election of 1860, in which Abraham Lincoln was elected president, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Ten other states followed its lead, forming the Confederate States of America. President Lincoln decided
that he could not allow the country to break apart and that only military force could save the Union. The Civil War
began. What other options did Lincoln have, if any, in his quest to save the nation?

According to President Lincoln, the goal of the Civil War was the reunion of the nation.

Explanation:

Following the victory of Abraham Lincoln in the Presidential Election of 1860, a number of Southern States seceded from the Union and formed the Confederacy. The main reason for the secession of the southern states was the issue of slavery. The southern states believed that Lincoln being a serious opponent of slavery would destroy their economy and life. At the same time, President Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union at any cost. In a public response to his criticism, he stated that "he would save the union whether he had to do it without freeing the slave, freeing the slaves or freeing some and leaving some. This meant besides the use of force he could also free slaves in order to preserve the Union. And the same he did in the rebel states.