Some historians question whether Lincoln was truly the great abolitionist and emancipator that we know him as today. Although Lincoln did hold respect for individuals such as Frederick Douglas, his opinion of the general black population, more likely than not, followed the prejudices of his time.
In Lincoln’s debate with Senator Stephen Douglas, Lincoln expresses white supremacist beliefs. In 1858, Lincoln states, “I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races.” He goes on to say that he never intends to make them voting citizens or allow them to hold office. He states that there are innate physical and mental differences between whites and blacks that dictate intermarriage as wrong. He ends this statement by saying that there must be inferior and superior positions in society to allow for coexistence and that the white man must be superior.
It has been argued that Lincoln was not committed to abolishing slavery for the good of the black population. Rather, he was a politician who saw it in his favor to prevent the system’s expansion. When the war against the Confederacy was going poorly, Lincoln saw an opportunity to cripple the heart of the Southern economy and rally Northern troops through emancipation.
Weeks before Lincoln presented his Emancipation Proclamation, he submitted a peace plan to Congress that would end the war and allow the south to preserve slavery for forty more years. This greatly angered and confused Abolitionists. At the beginning of the war, Lincoln declared that it was not a war over slavery but a war to preserve the union and went on to say that all blacks should leave America. Then, he promised emancipation. Next, he wanted to allow southerners to keep their slaves for forty more years. After that, he finally signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Lincoln's various actions contribute to his complicated character, known for his acts of compassion and morality yet conforming to the racist beliefs of his time.
"A complicated Lincoln – Harvard Gazette." 13 May. 2010, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/05/a-complicated-lincoln/. Accessed 25 Sep. 2018.
Mr. Lincoln and Negro Equality. - The New York Times." https://www.nytimes.com/1860/12/28/archives/mr-lincoln-and-negro-equality.html. Accessed 25 Sep. 2018.
"Lincoln and the Problem of Race: A Decade of Interpretations." https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629860.0002.104/--lincoln-and-the-problem-of-race-a-decade-of-interpretations?rgn=main;view=fulltext. Accessed 25 Sep. 2018.
"Looking for Lincoln | PBS : Looking for Lincoln." http://www.pbs.org/wnet/lookingforlincoln/. Accessed 25 Sep. 2018.
This is a really interesting blog post! I really like how you noted the fact that Lincoln still believed in some of the racial prejudices of the time, because that's something that few people actually recognize. I also really like how you pointed out the peace plan he proposed that allowed slavery to continue, because it really shows how he was willing to do whatever was necessary with slavery in order to preserve the union.
ReplyDeleteI like the blog post a lot but Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation after the battle of Antietam which is really when the Union was able to claim a victory against the South, so he needed to Issue the Emancipation Proclamation when the war was going somewhat well for the Union. Awesome post!
ReplyDeleteI like how you actually remembered the different ways to view history like revisionism and denialism(?). Also thought it was really interesting that you chose to focus on an aspect of Lincoln that most people are unaware of and also mentioned the peace plan that he proposed to Congress.
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