The history of Abraham Lincoln was very interesting to me as a child. My teachers would speak reverently about him and would tell near mythological stories about how he stood up for ‘what was right’, for the truth, for justice… Sadly, I never learned much more about the man than the little bits and pieces that were taught in school (and my degree simply never focused on History). Now, I am aware that the civil war wasn’t just about slavery and that various economic and political issues also had a lot to do with it… but why add slavery to the mix? I am compelled to ask:
What was he thinking? What was he thinking when he freed the slaves? Why did he risk war, risk the union, all to free the slaves? Why add wood to the fires of division? What made this man take such a brave, bold, and important stand? What was he thinking?
There was a huge religious movement to stop it in the east and several past presidents weren’t for it. Even cranky cynical guys that didn’t think much of black people, like Schopenhauer thought slavery was unethical and that was in the 1700s.
If you read between the lines about the time period America was formed you will find that people were neo-Roman freaks that were bent on imitation. Slavery was a Greco-Roman means to the philosophical life-style and that’s a major reason that it existed. So, it was at odds with other ideas about living.
He had his finger on the pulse - around the world at that time there was an increasing movement against slavery.
I find it hilarious that we talk of freeing ‘the’ slaves when what we mean by that is slaves within America and the British Commonwealth. Plenty of places still have slaves…
And bravos to the English for outlawing slavery long before we did. Bravo. You helped the abolisionist cause.
What is really hilarious is that most U.S. citizens do not realize that the man argued that if there was a superior he would have to agree it was White. Also, the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the Confederate South, not in the slave owning states that fought for the North. Another hilarious side note is that Lincoln’s wife was investigated and questioned because most, if not all her family were Confederate sympathizers.
The war in the North was fought to keep the union together; the South fought for economic reasons; this war was not fought for purely ultruistic reasons.
Additionally, Lincoln was the most unpopular president the U.S. has ever had! What 650,000 dead and many more maimed and wounded, he was roundly hated. Try reading some first hand accounts regarding the man. The press really nailed him.
If you think Nam was bad, it was nothing compared to the Civil War.
LOL, BTW: out politicians have always been very nasty to each other. Jackson was accused of being a mass murderer for having what?? 12 deserters shot. Sorry, off topic.
I’m a little curious about the legal grounds for the North invading the South. I don’t believe that the U.S. Constitution addresses this issue. As I understand it, some of the delegates specifically brought this point up at the constitutional convention and left with the understanding that secession was a viable option.
Yep, this was never resolved. The South did not want Northern rule any longer and the North wanted to keep the Southern rural resources, the cotton and food crops.
The remants of this conflict still has lingering effects. While very young some neighbors from Louisiana were very proud of their Confederate heritage, but avoided the slavery issue. We would play Yankees and Conferates and they always chose the Confederate side. We still see the “Good ol boys” with their trucks and Confederate flags.
What is interesting is the fact that most of the Confederate soldiers did not own slaves. To them the issue was being invaded by the Noth, hence the attack on Fort Sumpter to drive the North out. Another interesting fact is that the South was kicking the North’s ass for most of the war as almost all the officers during this conflict sided with the Southern cause. They had the best strategists and tacticians. The North only won because it was better armed, had better food and armament supply lines as well as more soldiers.
I am thankful the South lost as the stain of slavery would have laster much longer it she had won, and win she nearly did. Pushed darn close to the White House more than once. I do have to admire the South’s ability to do as well as they did for so long, but it still stings regarding how brutal so many were to the Black slaves. God, how those poor people suffered, and suffered for a long time after the conflict. They never did receive the 40 acres and a mule for a fresh start as the North was broke after the war.