Lincoln ranks high among Americans and scholars alike as one of the "greatest" of American leaders. His assassination made him a national martyr. His image is preserved in the Lincoln Memorial, the five dollar bill, the penny, and Mount Rushmore. Many places important to Lincoln's life are today museums and monuments. Illinois is known as "the Land of Lincoln" and the slogan is included on license plates. The capital of Nebraska is named after Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln has always been portrayed by writers, historians, and teachers as the great champion of equality and liberty for all. He is said to have fought for the rights of all people, regardless of skin color. "Honest Abe" is said to have "freed the slaves".
Like many things I've now written about, none of these common beliefs could be further from the truth.
Abraham Lincoln was anything but a champion of equal rights.
Lincoln's ideological hero was Henry Clay: the 19th century statesman and orator. He described Clay as
my beau ideal of a statesman, the man for whom I fought all of my humble life.Clay lead the American Colonization Society, a group which called for the return of slaves in America to Africa. Lincoln joined Clay's Whig Party in the 1830's. He delivered a passionate eulogy of Clay in 1852, even quoting him,
There is a moral fitness in the idea of returning to Africa her children.He ended with,
If as the friends of colonization hope, the present and coming generations of our countrymen shall by any means succeed in freeing our land from the dangerous presence of slavery, and, at the same time, in restoring a captive people to their long-lost fatherland, with bright prospects for the future, and this too, so gradually, that neither races nor individuals shall have suffered by the change, it will indeed be a glorious consummation.
In 1857, Lincoln voiced his opposition to admitting Kansas into the Union as a slave state, saying
There is a natural disgust in the minds of nearly all white people to the idea of indiscriminate amalgamation of the white and black races ... A separation of the races is the only perfect preventive of amalgamation, but as an immediate separation is impossible, the next best thing is to keep them apart where they are not already together. If white and black people never get together in Kansas, they will never mix blood in Kansas ...
Speaking again in Springfield, Illinois in July of 1858, Lincoln said,
What I would most desire would be the separation of the white and black races.
In am 1858 debate with fellow candidate for president Stephen Douglas, Lincoln further articulated his views on race-relations,
I will say then that 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...The crowd cheered, and Lincoln continued,
...that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which will ever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together, there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.
As president, in 1862, Lincoln said to a group of black community leaders at the White House,
See our present condition---the country engaged in war! Our white men cutting one another's throats! And then consider what we know to be the truth. But for your race among us there could not be war, although many men engaged on either side do not care for you one way or another.
Why should the people of your race be colonized, and where? Why should they leave this country? This is, perhaps, the first question for proper consideration. You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races. Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss, but this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think your race suffer very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffer from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this be admitted, it affords a reason at least why we should be separated. It is better for both, therefore, to be separated.
These few quotes prove that Abraham Lincoln was just the opposite of his favored historical portrayal: the "Great Emancipator" was a typical 19th century racist, and supported efforts to forcibly relocate African slaves from the American continent. His waging war upon the South was only in an (unconstitutional) attempt to keep the Union together, something historians of all creeds generally concede today.
Not good enough. Needs a part two. The Legality of Secession. Comingggggg next weekend I think.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting blog post, Alex. I read a book one time called Lies My Teacher Told Me that had a section (and lots & lots of other good stuff too!) about how it was important to point out that the "heroes" in our textbooks had faults, instead of just thinking of them as perfect, because it enables us to think of ourselves (probably equally fallible people) to have the potential to do good works as well. Like, if Lincoln was some perfect superhuman, how could someone like me ever try to do anything worthwhile? But if he's some guy who might have said some asshole things, then maybe I, as someone who says some asshole things too, can be a decent activist.
ReplyDeleteIt's also neat because I see a modern parallel to the gay rights movement. If we believe our textbooks that Lincoln was someone who thought that blacks & whites were equal & should have the same civil rights, then we end up drawing the conclusion that he was already a radical/liberal & that it was an easy decision for him to fight for the Emancipation Proclamation & other civil rights legislation. But if we know the truth, that he was not a liberal and that he didn't believe that blacks & whites were equal but STILL came to the conclusion that emancipation of the slaves was the right thing to do, then that's perhaps more impressive. And you can bring that to today, and say, of course it's easy for someone like me, who is a liberal & believes in gay rights to advocate for gay marriage. But other folks, who might not think that gays are equal to straight people or that they shouldn't have the same rights, can look to Lincoln as an example of someone who struggled with his own moral beliefs but yet came to a decision that supported the greater human moral good. And maybe those people who think that gays are not equal will realize that the majority of Americans believe that gays should be allowed to marry and that marriage is a human right and will be able to go for the greater human moral good despite their own struggles.
I'm eager to see week 2!
Peace,
Ami (your uncle David's partner)
You do realize that the southern states wanted to secede in order to preserve their slave societies? Are you saying that this was a good thing? That Lincoln was wrong in abolishing slavery and keeping the country together? I suggest you watch this movie to learn who was really financing the southern secessionists. The first twenty minutes deal with the Lincoln years, though the whole movie is excellent. Lincoln was one America's finest patriots.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgcdRCWEt4Q