Marler 1 Kelsey Marler Professor Grubbs History 2110 16 February 2012 Abraham Lincoln: His Views on Slavery Growing

up on a rural Kentucky farm, Abraham Lincoln was considered nothing more than a hick. His parents were low in social class and had very little education, much like most of the people back in that time era. His mother could neither read nor write while his father could only sign his name. In the introduction, Johnson writes, Lincoln recalled, There was absolutely nothing to excite ambition for education (3). Lincoln loved to read, however, and would steal time whenever he was not working on the farm to read and write. He moved around several times at a young age and he set out on his own when he was 19. In 1834, after losing his campaign the first time due to being in the military field, he succeeded in gaining a seat on the Illinois General Assembly. He represented the Whig party and was re-elected three times, serving on the assembly for a total of eight years. Lincoln started his life in politics early, and with only less than a year of schooling under his belt, he was a good speaker. It wasnt long before we see Lincoln rising up in the political standings and becoming invested in them. He soon got involved deeply with slavery and his view of it in 1854 was vastly different then his view of it in 1865. Beginning with his first speech in the novel on the Kansas-Nebraska act, we see some of his first words about his feel of slavery. He states during his speech, wrong in its direct effect, letting slavery into Kansas and Nebraskaand wrong in its prospective principle, allowing it to spread to every other part of the wide world, where men can be found inclined to take it (16). With this simple statement, I immediately felt that Lincoln was against slavery and didnt want it to be in the country. There is further more proof of this when he states in the same speech, I can not but hate. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself (16). Lincoln is basically calling Americans hypocrites because slavery goes against the Declaration of

Marler 2 Independence. The Declaration states that, all men are created equal, yet here are white men standing over the black men. But then, as the speech progresses, my thoughts of Lincolns viewpoints changed. Lincoln states, My first impulse would be to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia, -- to their own native land.We can not, then, make them equals (17). He felt that whites could not make black people like white people. After reading this, it still seems as if Lincoln wants to rid of slavery, but he also wants to rid of the blacks as well. He does not want them on Americas soil. Around the country, there were abolitionists fighting for racial equality. Lincoln states in this speech, Stand with the abolitionist in restoring the Missouri Compromise; and stand against him when he attempts to repeal the fugitive slave law (17). With this statement, Lincoln is stating that he does not want slavery to expand into new territories, and the Missouri Compromise prohibits that, however, he agrees with the fugitive slave law and is therefore not considered an abolitionist. In 1857, Lincoln made a speech about the Dred Scot decision that was made. There were two decisions in the case: the first being that a black person could not sue in the U.S. Congress and the second being that Congress cannot prohibit slavery in the territories. In his speech, Lincoln contends with Judge Douglas, whom feels that blacks are not included in the Declaration of Independence. Douglas states that those who contend with the thought that blacks are included in the Declaration only contend with it, because they want to vote, and eat, and sleep, and marry with negroes! (27). This statement made Lincoln furious and he protested against it saying that just because he doesnt want a black woman as a slave, means he wants a black woman as his wife. He states, In some respects she certainly is not my equal; but in her natural right to eat the bread she earns with her own hands without asking leave of anyone else, she is my equal, and the equal of all others (27). In some ways, Lincoln feels that that the blacks are whites equals, but he still feels that they should go back to their native land, Let us be brought to believe it is morally right, and, at the same time, favorable to, or, at least, not against, our interest, to transfer the African to his native clime (29). Lincolns views are more on the political side, wanting slavery out of the country but also wanting the blacks out as well. To me it seems that he feels as if they do not belong here at all.

Marler 3 In the year 1862 we start to see a different side of Lincoln as he writes a letter to Horace Greeley. Now that Lincoln is in office, inaugurated in 1961, his viewpoints begin to change. In the letter he writes, If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the salves I would to it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that (130). Back in 1857, he didnt talk much about the Union, it was far from his mind. Now, with talk that the Union is going down, slavery becomes a large part of the picture. Lincoln wants to save the Union so he must take a stand on slavery and he basically is telling Greeley that he would do anything with the slaves if it would save the Union. He no longer cares about them being on Americas soil, he would just like the Union to remain standing. The purpose of the Civil War was to end slavery, and he states this in the Gettysburg Address, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedomand that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth (161). The key part in this last sentence of his speech is, shall have a new birth of freedom. After this war, everyone will be free and the government will be by the people, not just white men. We see Lincolns turning point on his viewpoint of slavery during his speech about the emancipation proclamation. Before the emancipation proclamation, he did not want the slaves to be free. He stood against the abolitionists when they wanted to repeal the fugitive slaves law. But now, Lincoln has become more idealistic and conclusive. He is seeing an America without slavery. In the Emancipation Proclamation, it states, That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a Stateshall be then, thenceforward, and forever free (141). Lincoln wrote this proclamation to the people of America and freed the slaves. He no longer felt that they should be sent back to their native land, they were a part of this country. In his second inaugural address, a month before he was assassinated, he states, Yet, if Gods wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-mans two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be pain by another drawn with the sword, as was three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether (201). Lincoln wants the years of slavery to be the past, the work and the beatings they did and received to be repaid. Lincoln

Marler 4 wants the country to finish the work they started and to bind up the nations wounds. He wants peace in his country and among themselves.