Does Abraham Lincoln deserve credit as "the Great Emancipator"? Why or why not?

Lincoln deserves the title "the Great Emancipator" to some degree. He always disliked the institution of slavery and felt that it undermined American democracy. He was not, however, convinced of the ability of African-American people to participate in an integrated society, and he considered the idea of founding a colony for former slaves in Central America. At first, he was not in favor of abolitionism but only wanted to end slavery where it already existed,...

Lincoln deserves the title "the Great Emancipator" to some degree. He always disliked the institution of slavery and felt that it undermined American democracy. He was not, however, convinced of the ability of African-American people to participate in an integrated society, and he considered the idea of founding a colony for former slaves in Central America. At first, he was not in favor of abolitionism but only wanted to end slavery where it already existed, believing it would eventually die out—a position referred to as "Free Soil."

When Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it was a politically expedient move. He had to pacify the Radical Republicans in Congress who were eager to emancipate the slaves, but he also had to mollify the border states who were ready to secede. In addition, the New York City Draft Riots of 1863 (which took place after the Emancipation Proclamation was passed) proved that many Northerners, including Irish workingmen, were worried that the emancipation of the slaves would hurt them economically. Lincoln was a political realist and knew that he could only pass a measure that was largely symbolic in nature, as the Emancipation Proclamation only freed the slaves in the south (and they were not actually freed until the 13th Amendment was passed after the Civil War). 

In reality, the true emancipators were the members of the abolitionist movement, black and white, who worked to end slavery. For example, the African-American abolitionist, writer, and orator Frederick Douglass was tireless in pushing Lincoln to move towards emancipation. The leaders of abolitionism were the true figures of emancipation, though Lincoln eventually came to agree with their viewpoints and helped them pursue emancipation on a national scale.