American History 101: Abraham Lincoln

In all of American history, there are few other figures whose accomplishments and reputation have been so grossly misrepresented and blown out of proportion by the politically correct forces among us than "The Great Emancipator," Abraham Lincoln. And the sad thing is, with this particular person it's been going on since April 14, 1865 and has reached a point now where the persona of Lincoln has taken on nearly mythical proportions. This has been emphasized again in the press in the past few weeks when the press made such a hullabaloo about then-President Elect Obama visiting the Lincoln Memorial. I mean, really - would he have gotten that much coverage if he'd visited the Washington Monument instead? And then there's the location he chose for his pre-inauguration bash - yep, you guessed it. The Lincoln Memorial.

So let's take a quick peek at just what this Northern-styled, mythical "Great Emancipator" was really like, and what he really thought about equality among whites and blacks, shall we? (For those of you who subscribe to the mythical Lincoln persona, this would be a good time for you to move on to another web site because you're about to get your feelings hurt.)

"I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races - 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 I believe will forever 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. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied everything." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume III, "Fourth Debate with Stephen A. Douglas at Charleston, Illinois" (September 18, 1858), pp. 145-146.

I guess that pretty much sums up just what he thought of his black brothers and the thought of them being equal, huh? The negroes are okay people, but he wouldn't let his sister marry one. If someone in this day and age were to utter anything even close to the next to last line about white being assigned the superior position in regards to race, just what would we call him? Does the term "RACIST" come to mind?

"I have never said anything to the contrary, but I hold that notwithstanding all this, there is no reason in the world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I hold that he is as much entitled to these as the white man. I agree with Judge Douglas he is not my equal in many respects---certainly not in color, perhaps not in moral or intellectual endowment. But in the right to eat the bread, without leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of every living man. " The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume III, "First Debate with Stephen A. Douglas at Ottawa, Illinois" (August 21, 1858), p. 16.

Okay, I see. The negro has the same rights as you according to the Declaration of Independence, but you're still superior to him in moralality or brains. There's that pesky term again, you know, the one that begins with "R."

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume V, "Letter to Horace Greeley" (August 22, 1862), p. 388.

This is my all-time favorite Lincoln quote, because it shows what he really thought about slavery. As shown by his own words, he no more cared to free the slaves than the Southern people did. In 1862 when he was getting his collective ass kicked on every battlefield in the South and the Northern newspapers were openly questioning his war efforts, he knew he needed something to get the support of the people back on his side. So in his desperation and going against his true feelings about slavery, he issued the now infamous Emancipation Proclamation. He knew that slavery was THE one topic on which NO ONE in the North of any real clout would disagree on with him, and he was right. From that day in September 1862, the war became a war to free the slaves and ceased being a war to preserve the Union, which was Lincoln's objective from the start.

Keep in mind, won't you, that the words in quotation marks I've posted above are not MY words nor my interpretation of words, but they are DIRECT QUOTES from Lincoln himself, taken from 100% reliable and unimpeachable sources - his own letters and writings.

So much for "The Great Emancipator."

Class dismissed!

IHC