We were taught in grade school how Lincoln was such a great American hero to the slaves. Today I have been resolved of that erroneous belief due to a speech of his I read for my political science class:
While I was at the hotel to-day an elderly gentleman called upon me to know whether I was really in favor of producing perfect equality between the negroes & white people. While I had not proposed to myself on this occasion to say much on that subject, yet as the question was asked me I thought I would occupy perhaps five minutes in saying something in regard to it. I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social & political equality of the white & black races—that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, or intermarry with white people; & I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white & black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social & political equality. & inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior & inferior, & I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position, the negro should be denied everything. I do not understand that because I do not want a negro woman for a slave, I must necessarily want her for a wife. My understanding is that I can just let her alone. I am now in my fiftieth year, & I certainly never have had a black woman for either a slave or a wife. So it seems to me quite possible for us to get along without making either slaves or wives of negroes. I will add to this that I have never seen to my knowledge a man, woman or child, who was in favor of producing a perfect equality, social & political, between negroes & white men.
He is no better than Douglas who he replaced. I do not know if I am better off knowing the bitter truth or if I’d rather continue to hold to the lie I was taught.
The older I get and the more I learn less are the number of great figures in human history.
May 17th, 2006 at 11:44 am
You should visit with Mr. Phil the historian about this. I can’t even say where I heard this, but it’s my impression that Lincoln’s views on slavery evolved over the years, and that by his death, he was closer to a true abolitionist. There was pretty much no one in those days who thought blacks and whites could or should live side by side as equals. The “liberal” view was that the blacks should all be shipped back to Africa. I’m not sure where Lincoln came down on that issue. Anyway, yes, it’s disillusioning to learn what the “founding fathers” believed about racial equality — even in the case of those who thought slavery was evil.