"Brazil ended the slave trade in 1850. In 1871 the sons of slaves were freed. In 1885, slaves aged over 60 years were freed. By 1888, due to poor conditions for cotton growth, and the use of European immigrant labor, slavery was officially ended. There was no sectional war to end slavery, it died a natural death."

"Is there such a thing as natural forces in history?"

Slavery in the South would have died the same natural death for the same reasons and would have followed about the same time line.

Both the North and the South were tired of the War by December of 1862. A negociated peace was a very real possibility because of the natural forces of Northern attitude over the losses suffered on the battlefields during 1862.

Lincoln signing of the E.P. was strickly political for the several reason which we have already enumerated. However, to the Southern people the E.P. re-enforced a perception of the intent to instigate a race war within the southern states and to use the Negro as a weapon against the southern people. The E.P. was a validation of their fear of Lincoln in 1860.

So indeed there are natural forces, such as fear and economics, which were at play here. There forces were manipulated to cause the outcome which were the result.

So, History itself has no known natural forces in and of itself. Only the forces, which act upon the intellect of mankind itself and his wellbeing, are those which direct history.