Abraham Lincoln Was Not A Friend Of Africans

This clearly shows that Lincoln was not out for the Negro but just to preserve the union. He says in many other debates that he thought the Negro had a physical difference from the white man as well as an intellectual difference (Lincoln-Douglas, n. pag.). Lincoln was considered by many in the south to be a bigot, a white supremacist who wanted segregation and opposed civil and political rights for blacks (Oates 21). Stephen B. Oates talks of many of the theories in his book, like that many southerners concluded that Lincoln was with them in the matters of race (22). Many of these examples show that Lincoln was a hypocrite of some sorts. He would appeal to the southerners by making statements that led them to believe that he was against the Negro. Yet he was writing the emancipation proclamation that was supposed to free all of the slaves. This also is debatable that the proclamation freed any slaves at all. The emancipation proclamation is looked at by some as one of the most far-reaching pronouncements ever issued in the United States (Oates 25). Also it is said that the proclamation freed few if any bondsman (Oates 26).

Lincoln said his paramount object was to save the Union, and if he could accomplish that by not freeing any slaves, he would free none; "if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by

In his speech concerning the Dred Scott Decision, Lincoln counters Justice Taney and Stephen Douglas's argument that the authors of the Declaration of Independence did not mean to include blacks. "I think the authors of that notable instrument intended to include all men, but they did not intend to declare all men equal in all respects. They did not mean to say all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social capacity (Lincoln 1857)." Lincoln argues for the notion that all people should have their basic rights of life, liberty, and property included in the Declaration, not just white men. As he does this, however, Lincoln admits that blacks are not really equal to whites.

The author says that defenders and supporters of Lincoln can always back up his remarks with a redeeming quality. Lincoln admitted his feelings of racial equality; instead he always stated the feeling of white people. He didn’t always carefully construct his answers when speaking about his position of certain topics, although he tried. Lincoln wanted all questions about race removed from all discussion. His strategy to do so was to agree with the Democratic Party that there was no equality between blacks and whites. He used racism strategically to eliminate it. Lincoln did admit that he was in support of colonization because he truthfully believed that blacks and whites could not live together equally. To a man like Frederick Douglass, what Lincoln and the Republicans stood for was disjointed. And to me, while this may have all been a strategy for Lincoln, I feel it necessary to take Douglass’ side of the issue.

Although Lincoln was opposed to enslaving the African Americans, it is possible that he may never have considered them equals. In the late 1850’s, Lincoln was known to have a similar theme in his speeches, where he made it clear to the people that he did not consider the blacks to be an equal race. He wanted to set them free, but Lincoln wanted to have them shipped off to Africa rather than have them live within the union. In his 1858 campaign in Illinois for the Senate against Stephen Douglas, Lincoln spoke to his listeners and said:

Lincoln believes you cannot vote upon a moral issue such as enslaving another human being. Douglas, however, argued the principle of popular sovereignty is in accordance with the foundation of the union and its founders. He believed it to be just to it up to the people to vote on the issue of slavery. Lincoln argues, “If the negro is a man, why then my ancient faith teaches me that

President Lincoln believed all should have an equal chance, something in which of course slavery contradicted. He made it clear that slavery was a very dangerous and disturbing element. Seemingly, Abraham Lincoln was bothered by this case according to some direct quotes from his speech."The Republicans inculcate, with whatever of

In 1862, thousands of enslaved African Americans headed to the Union lines as President Lincoln’s troops marched through the south, to push and fight for their rights. A common belief about the slaves was that they were accustomed to the bondage and basically, did not mind that they were slaves. This, of course, was a myth, and them heading to the Union lines during the Civil War further proved to Lincoln that he needed to free them. Prior to this, Lincoln personally did not support the enslavement but was concerned as to how the Northern slave states would react to the Union wanting to free their slaves. He was worried they would join the Confederacy. However, he realized that emancipation was a necessity, both politically and for the military.

Abraham Lincoln was strongly anit-slavery and wanted for the civil war to be fought out to end the problems

In Document C and D, Lincoln called the Negroes “heathism”, “barbarian”,“creatures”. By using such demeaning and dehumanizing words, Lincoln puts down the Negroes, which establishes himself as the better race. However, some may argue that Lincoln was not a racist. In Document A, Lincoln believed that “the Negro was born his equal” and that “no human law can deprive him of these rights”.

Most “negros” were working on the plantation. Grant went to college and became a teacher on the plantation, (Gaines, 34). He decided to change the outcome of his life and not follow the footsteps of others. He says, “I’m going to live my own life, Vivian, and I hope you’re part of it. If they like it, it’s all right; if they don’t, it’s the same,” (Gaines, 162). He’s chosen who he loves and doesn’t care what others have to say about him being with Vivian. In The Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln says that, “...all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of state, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward and forever free…”, (The Emancipation Proclamation, 57). Lincoln stood up for what he wanted. He put his foot down and made sure that everyone knew what was going on. He took control of the

Abraham Lincoln - Great Emancipator or Racist? Being an emancipator means to free a slave from bonage. Someone being racist means that the person in question believes their race is superior to other races. There are many debates whether Abraham Lincoln was actually racist or the great emancipator he is known for. While there is evidence that he may have been racist, there is also plenty of proof that states the contrary.

To a delegation of blacks, Lincoln proposed his idea of moving the entire African-American race out of the United States. At first glance, his vision may have seemed like a scheme to get rid of blacks entirely. However, for several reasons, this is not at all true. Lincoln wanted to place the blacks somewhere where they would prosper and could build their own society, and Lincoln, being a self-made man himself, thought it wasn’t irrational to notion that. In fact, Lincoln was offering his ideas on colonization to the blacks, not forcing them.

Even though he naively believed that white men were the supreme race, he was staunchly against slavery as an institution and felt that the Declaration of Independence included black persons. In the same debate, Lincoln goes on to state that he “[does] not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the Negro should be denied every thing” (Lincoln). He believed that ‘the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’ as outlined in the Declaration of Independence, applies to all men, regardless of their color, ethnicity, or culture. This may be attributed to the fact that he had not had many encounters with Black slaves until when he was in his late teens, where it had a profound impact on him (Foner 8).

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous names in American history. Most of his fame comes from his eloquence and persuasiveness, seeing that he used these traits to accomplish many historical milestones during his presidency. His most well-known accomplishment was the abolition of slavery. However, even though he abolished slavery in the nineteenth century, many still argue that he was a racist. Emancipator - to free from restraint, influence or the like, to free (a slave) from bondage.