On July 25, 1861, the 37th U.S. Congress passed the Crittenden-Johnson Resolution, also known as the Crittenden Resolution and the War Aims Resolution. The resolution sought to narrowly define the Union’s goals in the Civil War without addressing slavery as a cause. This column takes a closer look at the resolution and the reasons behind it.The resolutionThe resolution was voted upon in two separate parts in the House of Representatives, the first part reading:“Resolved by the House of Representatives of the …