"I say now, however, as I have all the while said, that on the territorial question — that is, the question of extending slavery under the national auspices — I am inflexible. I am for no compromise which assists or permits the extension of the institution on soil owned by the nation. And any trick by which the nation is to acquire territory, and then allow some local authority to spread slavery over it, is as obnoxious as any other."
—Lincoln to William H. Seward: 1861

This quote suggests which of the following about Lincoln's public position on slavery in 1861?

A. He opposed both the expansion and the existence of slavery.
B. He opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories.
C. He supported popular sovereignty to decide the issue of slavery.
D. He did not think slavery a viable economic institution that could exist in the western parts of the United States.