Why was president Lincoln reluctant at first to emancipate enslaved African American?

President Lincoln was initially reluctant to emancipate enslaved African Americans because he feared that doing so would alienate border states and undermine the unity of the Union during the Civil War. He prioritized preserving the Union over immediate abolition, believing that emancipation could be seen as a radical move that might provoke further division. Additionally, Lincoln had to navigate the complex political landscape, including the views of Congress and public opinion, which were not uniformly in favor of immediate emancipation.