Which of the following statements BEST captures northerners' attitude toward emancipation at the beginning of the Civil War?

a. The majority of white northerners recognized from the onset that victory in the war could be accomplished only if the slaves were freed.

b. Despite the resistance of a few partisan opponents of the Lincoln administration, most white northerners viewed the emancipation of slaves as the single most important objective of the war.

c. Opposition to emancipation was strong in the North, particularly in regions settled by white southerners and among white laborers.

d. Although northern Democrats consistently demanded that the government make emancipation its priority, the most conservative Republicans in power insisted on keeping emancipation off the table until late in the war.