“I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races,”
- Abraham Lincoln, 1858 in Charleston, Illinois
For years, America’s 16th President Abraham Lincoln has been portrayed as the “Great Emancipator” who ended slavery and the Civil War of 1861-1865 between the North & South. However, there’s more to this story than what we are taught in our K-12 education system.
The truth is that this narrative that Lincoln was an abolitionist is false. Abolitionists were individuals and communities who believed in the immediate emancipation of enslaved people and in the incorporation of freed people into society. Abolitionists were opposed to the political system and the constitution which had continuously protected enslavers and the general institution of slavery.
This did not in fact reflect Abraham Lincoln’s perspective and views on slavery. He very clearly and publicly stated his thoughts on Black people and slavery throughout his time in office. For example, during his speech in Peoria, Illinois in 1854, Lincoln expressed his moral, legal, and economic opposition to slavery. He shared and claimed he didn't know what should be done about slavery within the current political system.
In 1858, a series of debates against his opponent Stephen Douglas in the Illinois race for U.S. Senate (1858) Lincoln stated: “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races,”. He opposed blacks having the right to vote, to serve on juries, to hold office, and to intermarry with whites.
Between 1852 and 1862, Lincoln thought colonization could resolve the issue of slavery. Lincoln believed that colonization—or the idea that the majority of the African American population should leave the United States and settle in Africa or Central America—was the best way to confront the problem of slavery. Lincoln first publicly advocated for colonization in 1852, and in 1854 said that his first instinct would be “to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia." In August of 1862, Lincoln hosted a delegation of freed Black men and women at the White House in the hopes of getting their support on a plan for colonization in Central America. Lincoln argued, it would be “better for us both, therefore, to be separated.” Lincoln’s support of colonization outraged Black leaders and abolitionists. Frederick Douglass, for example, made an important speech pointing out that, even if Lincoln ended slavery, he would always choose the course of action that would be most advantageous White America.
Many learners are taught that the Civil War was a conflict over slavery. Though this is true, the idea of ending slavery for humanitarian reasons was not as important for Lincoln as was preventing the South from seceding. Lincoln saw emancipation as a military policy to undermine the Confederacy and gain manpower for the Union.
Does this sound like an abolitionist hero to you? Let us know your thoughts on Abraham Lincoln and what textbooks have taught us.
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