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Lincoln deserves all the praise he gets. He was not an author or a philosopher or a newspaper columnist. He was a politician and so had to position himself to win a national election. That said, his views on slavery were always crystal clear: When he began considering national office, he had to appease the slave states as best he could without violating his moral code. That's why you get some of the more wishy-washy statements like this: Of course, that is from his first inaugeral where he had to sneak into DC and SC was already in open rebellion, so a little leeway should be allowed. However, his position also brings forth statements like this: Lincoln obviuosly was hoping slavery would die a "natural" death: Finally, the Cooper Union Speech. The speech that made him a presidential contender and perhaps the greates speech in our history. Here's an excerpt where Lincoln is talking to the Southerners: And then he speaks to Republicans (not quite the same thing as Republicans now): The bolded part is bolded because it goes to the heart of so many arguments about the Civil War. States rights or slavery? Lincoln believed it was slavery. There's nothing to discount his view except a lot of Southerners couching their pro-slavery views as "states rights." I suppose you could make the argument that the war was ultimately fought because one section of the country interpreted the Constituion's language on property to include slaves and another section did not, but that still comes down to slavery and ignores the discourse. Lincoln goes on to reiterate the point: Then, Lincoln once again reaffirms his political position on slavery: Great speech, great man, great accomplishments. Like any person who wrote and spoke a great deal, there are going to be some statements that give you pause... but if you look at the body of his work and just as importantly, his actions as he was allowed to act by the times he lived in, there's no question he deserves all the praise and thanks we can give him. (And if you thought the Civil War was over and done, take a look at any electoral map of the last few presidential elections.)
We have a meeting on this every year. It is held in East Dublin, GA. We hang out by the river. Drink beer, bob for pig's feet, and have a belly flopping contest in a pit of mud. In the end we always decide we'd rather just get back in our pickup trucks, go home, and drink beer on our porches.
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I know a group of people who are basically that (except they wrestle pigs instead of bob for their feet, and there a whole lot more rascist) what's scary is they're from New Jersey. Guess when the South rose, they just meant they were pushing the mason-dixon line up farther.
"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."
I see a guy that would have been considered black under the standards of the Civil War era winning North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida (three of the Confederate States). Sure looks like the Civil Was is over and done.
Went through all four pages looking for a Basso or Esteban posting about Lincoln being a Republican and the Democrats being the party to support slavery. I'm disappointed.
The thing is, people lost their lives defending their communities and homes independent of their degree of bigotry towards blacks, and their descendants all obey the law, pay taxes and don't file 13 our internship applications to Wild Well Control or sneer at us at Boot Town; so I think we can handle "Bonnie Blue Flag" or "Kindgom Coming" for a day or two. I always thought from a timing standpoint it was the Friday right before or after MLK day: Goose Creek ISD used to never take the latter holiday off, but always had an inservice day on a Friday nearabouts.
Your history is off. Read a book. Uncle Tom's Cabin, maybe, which came out before the Civil War. Kind of a best-seller at the time... Way, way off. This is bull----. Go back and read the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Lincoln lost that election, and the primary point of contention was the expansion of slavery. Lincoln's arguments were mostly moral. Yes, I've read Zinn, and yes, Lincoln was of forked tongue, and argued in front of Southern apologists (the famous "I do not care" mantra is taken from such a speech) in a way that he did not argue in front of abolitionists. What do you want? He was a politician, and was seeking support across constituencies. But his arguments, no matter the crowd, no matter how abhorrent they seem without context, were always with the same goal in mind. Stopping slavery was kinda Lincoln's thing -- he was a single-issue candidate, and that single issue was, "Slavery -- Not So Much." And he was elected to the presidency, so at least a plurality of the citizens kinda had to, in some fashion, support that philosophy. I see Rimrocker beat me to it.
You're absolutely correct, states rights troll. All the slave-owners did was refuse to give their slaves second helpings of tea and crumpets when they failed to obey. NSFW: Spoiler And I hope it goes without saying, but there were no "Confederate heroes." A guy who Audie Murphys half a battalion of Nazis fighting to exterminate a race of people? Arguably, a hero. The other way around? Not so much.
