Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, won the Election of 1860 with approximately forty percent of the popular vote and a majority of the electoral votes. Lincoln grasped the attention of the nation with his Cooper Union Speech which opposed the expansion of slavery but not slavery itself. Lincoln embraced a more popular free soil opposition to the expansion of slavery. This caused the Republican Party to become a supporter of free soil but not abolition. Soon after Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States, South Carolina seceded from the Union. South Carolina claimed that its state rights had been violated by the Northern states who failed to uphold their federal obligation to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act. Shortly …show more content…
article, Lincoln, a White Supremacist, fails to mention the actions Lincoln took to prevent the expansion of slavery, he still argues that Lincoln was a white supremacist. Bennett, Jr. mentions Lincoln’s feeling about slavery in the slave states. In the article Bennett, Jr. states that Lincoln “was not prepared to do anything to remove that injustice where it existed” (131). Bennett, Jr. is saying that Lincoln did not try to free the slaves in the slave states. The article does not mention the actions that Lincoln took to prevent the spread of slavery; therefore, Bennett’s, Jr. argument presents obvious bias that makes the information less reputable. Since Bennett, Jr. fails to directly mention that Lincoln tried to prevent the spread of slavery it causes the audience to assume that Lincoln also supported the expansion of slavery. Lincoln did not support the expansion of slavery; however, Lincoln did not take initiative to end slavery where it already existed. On the other hand, Gettysburg College Professor, Allen C. Guelzo’s article, Lincoln, Race, and Slavery: A Biographical Overview, argues that Lincoln was against the expansion of slavery in the new territories acquired by the United States. In the article, Guelzo states that Lincoln voted in favor of the Wilmot Proviso which banned slavery in the new territories from the Mexican- American War. Lincoln also supported a bill that was supposed to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, but the …show more content…
argues that all of Lincoln’s actions were in favor of the white population of the United States and that Lincoln believed that the black and the white populations would be better off segregated. In the article, Bennett, Jr. states that Lincoln was for the white men of the nation and that he would do whatever he could to satisfy the white population. When Bennett, Jr. recognizes that Lincoln was against the expansion of slavery he argues, “Lincoln was opposed to the extension of slavery out of devotion to the interests of white people, not out of compassion for the suffering blacks” (131). This supports Bennett’s, Jr. argument that Lincoln only cared about the satisfaction of the white population. Lincoln also claimed that it was his duty to tolerate and give practical support to slavery which he describes as an evil that is supported by the Constitution. Bennett, Jr. argues further that Lincoln believed that immediate emancipation would be a greater evil than slavery. Since immediate emancipation was not and option and blacks and whites living together was not an option, Lincoln’s idea of colonization spread throughout the nation. Lincoln believed that black people and white people would be much better off with an ocean separating them. In Lincoln’s speech at Charleston, Illinois in September 1858 he mentions, “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
Lincoln 's Peoria Speech/Lincoln 's Fourth Debate with Stephen Douglas Abraham Lincoln is broadly viewed as the legend of American history; he is accepted to be the pioneer in liberating the Blacks from servitude. While giving his discourse before 12000 group of onlookers in the fourth verbal confrontation, Lincoln went ahead to state, "… I am not, nor ever have been, agreeable to achieving in any capacity the social and political fairness of the white and dark races.." (Lincoln 1:267). He communicated his view on the matter of racial balance, while he was against giving Blacks the equivalent rights, he additionally was against the way that Blacks were precluded from claiming everything. He accepted to appreciate the predominant position,
Bennett writes several times throughout his article that Lincoln did not want equality for blacks and whites; he simply opposed the expansion of slavery. Bennett states, “he was opposed to the extension of slavery... out of interests to the white people” (Bennett, 1962). Bennett also reminds the reader that Lincoln is not “in favor of bringing… social and political equality of the white and black races” (Bennett, 1962). Because Lincoln was a white male in power who did not believe in equality for African-Americans and whites, this makes him a white supremacist. James Tackach, a professor of English at Roger Williams University who also wrote Lincoln’s Moral Vision, agrees with Bennet’s claim, that Lincoln believed that African-Americans were inferior to whites.
He made it very clear that he didn’t want slavery to spread and would work to see that slavery didn’t spread. President Lincoln said if he could save the Union by keeping slavery where it already existed, he would do that. Saving the Union was his top priority. However, the South didn’t trust President Lincoln to keep his word.
During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency at the start of the 1860, an issue that had divided the nation was slavery. Lincoln’s election to presidency as a republic was not received well by the Southern slave states, as they thought that as a republican he was out to abolish slavery. In an effort to calm southern states and keep them from seceding from the United States, he attempts to ease them with his First Inaugural Address. In his First Inaugural Address his key points are to clam southern leaders of slave states, keep the states from seceding, and make them at ease as he enters presidency.
In conclusion, Lincoln was not against slaves but they were not his main
Allen Guelzo and Vincent Harding approached Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the eventual abolition of slavery from two very different viewpoints. The major disagreement between them is whether the slaves freed themselves, or Abraham Lincoln and his Emancipation Proclamation freed them. Harding argued the former view, Guelzo took the later. When these essays are compared side by side Guelzo’s is stronger because, unlike Harding, he was able to keep his own views of American race relations out of the essay and presented an argument that was based on more than emotion. Allen Guelzo
We can state the obvious, that we are not all perfect, and we certainly say things we don’t mean. Was President Lincoln really a racist? There is documented text that could point evidence that leans in either direction. Things said in the heat of long debates and drawn out conversations that ran for hours, does not make such a monumental man a poor or hypocritical person. Looking at the Constitutional right that “All men are created equal” to the thought that things won’t change without action, and to a man with no moral obligation other than to share his personal option that slavery was wrong, we dive into President Lincoln.
Did the Civil War End Sectionalism in the United States? The Civil War did reduce sectional antagonism in the United States. Lincoln played a big part in this by ending slavery himself. Lincoln says it is not our job to interfere with slavery owners and their slaves. He just wanted everyone to be treated equally because we’re all the same.
While Abraham Lincoln was opposed to slavery, he embarked on a civil war to preserve the country. The
With a desire to achieve the ideology of manifest destiny, the United States called war on Mexico to acquire their land. However, with the United States’ victory came the inevitable debate about slavery in not only the newly acquired territories, but also in the nation as a whole. The nation began to divide on the issue of slavery due to the Missouri Compromise which legalized slavery below the 36°30’ parallel and the Kansas-Nebraska Act which decided that the issue of slavery should be solved by popular sovereignty. Controversy sparked by political decisions like those aforementioned and events about slavery, disputes over slavery status in the territories, and extremist outlooks on the solution to these issues increased sectionalism and
During the time of the Civil War around the time was Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States, I believed that Abraham Lincoln was and was not a racist. As in Document A, I do not believe that Abraham Lincoln was being a racist because, in one of his many debates between him and Douglas, it says he became widely known for his views on slavery. Abraham Lincoln believes that African- Americans were born equal and that no human law can deprive them of these rights.
Although he did not believe in slavery, he did believe in a superior and inferior race. “[T]here 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.” Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was racist, he did not believe all races were created equal.
Lincoln was against slavery, and he “argued against the spread of slavery” (history.org). When he ran for president, the Southerners were afraid that he would attempt to end slavery, and they did not even include him on the ballot. Also, they stated that they would secede from the nation if Lincoln became president. When Lincoln was elected, “...seven states had seceded, and the Confederate States of America had been formally established…” (history.org). Lincoln’s election was the breaking point of tensions between the North and South, and when he was elected the outcome was the secession of the South.
President Lincoln stated that: “if I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it,..., and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would do it.”. This quote clearly shows that the freedom of slaves was not his concern and unnecessary if it did not help the Union; as the result, slavery still exists if there is no war. Free slave from bondage should be a Great Emancipator’s primary goal and he will do his best to achieve it no matter what, but president Lincoln’s thought differed from that because all he cares was the Union. Although he had many times admitting himself an anti-slavery but his words and thoughts obviously prove that he is
In fact he said that if he could save the Union without freeing any slaves he would do it. Lincoln did believe that all men (including black men) should have the right to improve their condition in society and to get paid for their labor. However, he did not believe that black men could