Abraham Lincoln's Racist Arguments With Stephen Douglas

First, Abraham Lincoln wasn’t a fan of slavery. He thought that slavery should be abolished. According to document 5 it says “Abraham Lincoln, who had declared “Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free…”. Lincoln also thought that it should be “Free Speech, Free Homes, and Free Territory”. He thought that blacks should have the right to talk in public and blacks should own their own homes and property. Lincoln wanted all blacks to be free and didn't want racism.

Abraham Lincoln is arguably one of the most interesting presidents in the history of the United States. Any research done on Lincoln will show, whether you agree or disagree with his philosophies, that he was, and still is, a fascinating historical figure. There have been numerous discussions regarding Lincoln before the Civil War, during the war as Commander In Chief, or his views on slavery and racial equality; furthermore, vast debates on his views, strategies, and solutions regarding events that helped shape our nation. Abraham Lincoln is such an interesting person that discussions and debates will lead to more questions open to more discussion and debate. What was Lincoln’s view on

Lincoln used his background as an outlet when making most of his decisions. During two occasions, he addressed his respect for Kentucky and its citizens, but needed them to stand behind his vision. In Sept of 1859, he addressed how he believed slavery was wrong and wish for it not to spread . In 1860, Lincoln wanted to succeed Pennsylvania. In Feb of 1861, he had the same speech. Many people were concerned about what Lincoln could actually do. They did not forget that Lincoln had little to no experience with law. He only had up to eighteen months of formal schooling. Despite these facts, Lincoln was regarded as “Candidate of pride, wealth and aristocratic family distinction”. Better than most union leaders he appreciated conditions in the south… and the advantages of being able to call on the old southern leaders. He was very generous and considerate. Lincoln was for the North but he was also connected to the South fundamentally and emotionally. In 1864, a northern delegation conferred with him concerning escaped slaves coming within union lines. Lincoln was once again facing issues he did not see coming his way. From left to right, people were expecting him to back up his word. He had to prove to them he could get the job done, regardless of the obstacles he may

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).

Abraham Lincoln strongly disagreed with slavery because it made him miserable to see people treated so poorly. He thought slavery was an injustice and that the slaves were treated like animals, not like the people they are. In a letter to Mary Speed (2), Lincoln recalls seeing slaves chained together like caught fish and he talked about how sick the treatment towards them was. He then pointed out that they are in fact people too, as they play cards, dance to music, and have families just like anyone else. Slaves are and have the same human tendencies as us and should be treated just the same as well. Lincoln finally pointed out that slaves were rending the worst of human conditions tolerable, while the slave owners could not even come close to tolerating these circumstances. He felt that slaves were the same as every other human, yet rendered terrible

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.

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

Lincoln was always against slavery. He never thought of slaves as better than white Americans, but still thought they should be considered as equal to the law. Lincoln agreed with the founding fathers' phrase “All men are created equal,” which he also thought that it should have applied to black and white people. “The Declaration and the Constitution enshrined these rights: the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. In essence, to Lincoln this implied the right to be free, to enjoy the fruits of his labour, to have a family and to acquire property.”

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were the Democratic and Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. Their debates are admittedly the most famous political debates in American history. The biggest topic of debate during this time was slavery, therefore Lincoln and Douglas not only differed in their views on slavery, but also attempted to discredit the other candidate’s views by bringing up past speeches. Slavery was not the only topic during these debates, there were also debates on equality and state power over slavery.

Lincoln’s ideas were praised by the Republican party as he argued against slavery, but did not call for their abolition. By avoiding a direct response on his opinion of slavery, many saw him as a neutral candidate in the election while Douglas was framed as a proponent of slavery. As a national figure, Lincoln now had the opportunity to run for greater political office, such as his eventual role as president. Although Douglas did win the election that the debates of 1858 were for, these debates were the start of his political downfall. Lincoln’s debate strategies allowed for him to exploit Douglas for his strong belief in the legality of popular sovereignty in newly admitted territories. This also spurred the split of the Democratic party which would last through the Civil War. Many people in the Free-Soil and Republican Party began to see Lincoln as their spokesperson. He agreed with many of their ideas and he had the platform to address them. Lincoln did originally agree with the advantages of popular sovereignty yet as his own views changed, “he would entertain no

Firstly, Abraham Lincoln was never a person who said that a african american and white person were equal but instead said that they were man like them so they should be allowed to obtain property like theirs. In his personal life Abe had a unique upbringing and adulthood as he lived. His upbringing with a father who had no education, but was successful in life with what he did and a religious family to beat. Nevertheless, his uneducated father found a way to live a prosperous life being one of the most successful farmers in Kentucky. To boot, his family was one with morals and that came with being a family that was religious just like a great majority of southern culture all of them attended church on Sunday. Next, it came to his adulthood later on in his life he was a lawyer and even a statesman before doing anything else. He became a lawyer after studying for only 18 hours and started to practice law immediately; becoming very successful with the way he could use his words in court. While he was a

Lincoln was a relative newcomer to the anti-slavery act, but his stand on the matter did gain him more respect from some people. His stand in the debates also made him more firm in his beliefs and standing. The debate content was completely about how the half-slavery and half-free state compromise. Douglas supported the matter and Lincoln argued against it.

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).

Lincoln’s views on slavery were the same before, during, and after the Civil War. While Lincoln was practicing law he went and campaigned on behalf of the other abolitionists. He denounced members of the Democratic Party for backing a law that “assumes there can be moral right in the enslaving of one man by another.”[history.com] After that he decided to continue to openly campaign on behalf of his fellow abolitionists. Even though Lincoln was an abolitionist he realized that outlawing slavery in the states that already allowed it would just cause an all out civil war. Instead he decided that they should just try and prevent it from spreading. He said “I do wish to see the spread of slavery arrested and to see it placed where the public mind

Douglas also appeared as a racist. He described the United States as, “... a white people-a people composed of European descendants- a people that have established a government for themselves and their posterity” (Lincoln Douglas Debates, 34). He wants to preserve the purity