Which of these was president lincoln's central goal during the civil war?
to end slavery in all u. s. states
to preserve the union
to keep the u. s. economy from collapsing
to punish the southern states for seceding

To preserve the union was his central goal
hopefully this is correct

B is the correct answer .To preserve & restore the Union, which was the central sworn duty as president. Although he also wished very much to see the end of slavery, he only pursued that goal when it aligned with the one of restoring the Union