Lincoln On Equality
June 29th, 2010 | Published in Morality, Politics, Quotes | 8 Comments
As a nation we began by declaring “all men are created equal.” We now practically read it that all men are created equal except negroes, foreigners and Catholics. When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty — to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.
—Abraham Lincoln
June 29th, 2010 at 8:39 am (#)
“I have no purpose to introduce political and social equality between the white and black races. There is a physical difference between the two, which, in my judgment, will probably forever forbid their living together upon the footing of perfect equality. I . . . am in favor of the race to which I belong having the superior position.”
–Abraham Lincoln
June 29th, 2010 at 9:38 am (#)
Yeah, Lincoln was just doing what was politically expedient. You could argue that John’s quote above was from a speech in 1858, and that Lincoln’s views changed before (or during) the war… but that doesn’t explain this, from a letter he wrote in 1863:
“I thought that in your struggle for the Union, to whatever extent the negroes should cease helping the enemy, to that extent it weakened the enemy in his resistance to you. Do you think differently? I thought that whatever negroes can be got to do as soldiers, leaves just so much less for white soldiers to do, in saving the Union. Does it appear otherwise to you? But negroes, like other people, act upon motives. Why should they do any thing for us, if we will do nothing for them? If they stake their lives for us, they must be prompted by the strongest motive—even the promise of freedom. And the promise being made, must be kept.”
Lincoln offered promises of freedom to black slaves — but only so they would help the Union rather than the Confederacy. And, having won that war, he figured his hands were tied and he had to follow through with that promise.
June 29th, 2010 at 9:46 am (#)
Travis is right, Lincoln was above all, a politician–in the mold FDR and Nixon. Quoting him in defense of racial equality does not help its cause.
Check out “The Real Lincoln” and “Lincoln Unmasked” (both by Thomas DiLorenzo) to see the side of Lincoln of which most historians don’t speak.
June 29th, 2010 at 9:47 am (#)
Unfortunately he was still a man of his time; but I like him a hell of a lot better than his opposites down south. I have a quote coming tomorrow from the Southern VP that made my blood boil.
I’m sure we mythologize Lincoln in many ways; that’s impossible not to do. It’s human nature. Every person has flaws, and the more public they are, the more we can usually find. Especially when history goes through people’s personal letters. We say things differently to different people and mean different things in different contexts, and politicians probably have a skill of doing that better than most of us. I like Benjamin Franklin too, but I think most people who talked to him went away thinking he agreed with him, even when he didn’t.
The whole Civil War is bizarre to me. It makes me sad to think about how people were killing each other over these issues. I hope we’re past such things now… but unfortunately many are probably not.
June 29th, 2010 at 9:55 am (#)
Josh,
I’m with you regarding the Civil War. What a sad debacle. Have you read Doug Wilson’s book “Black and Tan?” It is a good, Christian perspective on the war and its legacy.
June 29th, 2010 at 10:12 am (#)
I haven’t. Doug isn’t on the top of my life to read on those issues — for now I’m sticking with historians. Plus, he has a very minority position it seems:
http://hnn.us/articles/9142.html
June 29th, 2010 at 10:52 am (#)
Josh,
I’m familiar with the Wilson/Wilkins/slavery kerfluffle. The book is a re-work of the essay and he actually addresses it openly in the book.
I’m a bit surprised by your deference to “historians” since the impression I’ve gathered from your blog is that you treat the establishment with great skepticism.
Trusting an humanist historian over a Christian brother, let alone pastor/scholar on any matter ought to only be done with great trepidation.
Google Books has it here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=bjmh65MzZvIC&lpg=PA23&ots=zbsXTzWC90&dq=doug%20wilson%20%22black%20and%20tan%22&pg=PA122#v=onepage&q&f=false
Canon Press has a PDF of the first chapter or so here:
http://www.canonpress.org/forms/BandT_pp.pdf
June 29th, 2010 at 11:43 am (#)
I’ve changed my opinion on that; I think it makes sense to listen more to people who study something primarily than those who dabble with it on the side. I find them to be more informed on the issues. That doesn’t always mean they are right, but I do prefer to start with the people with the most knowledge in an area, and then fan out to the fringe if I feel adventurous.