Abraham Lincoln and Slavery Essay example -- Slavery Essays

Abraham capital of Nebraska and SlaveryMany Americans believe that Abraham Lincoln was theGreat Emancipator, the sole individual who ended slavery,and the man who epitomizes freedom. In his briefpresidential term, Lincoln dealt with an unstable nation,with the South seceding from the country and in brink ofleaving permanently. The differing ideologies between theNorth and South about the economy and slavery quickly leadto complaisant war. It was now the duty of Lincoln to maintainthe accord of the nation. Therefore, Lincoln is not theGreat Emancipator because his primary goals end-to-end hispresidency was always to maintain the unity of the nationand not achieve the emancipation of slaves.First of all, by looking at Lincolns road to the whitehouse, one can fulfil that Abraham Lincoln was a man undecidedon the issue of slavery. He wisely used the issue ofslavery to appeal to both the abolitionists and toNegrophobes, Northerners who were afraid of nourishment side-by-side wit h Negroes and competing with them for jobs. Forexample, on July 10th of 1959, Lincoln gave a speech inChicago, a primarily abolitionist town. Lincoln stated thatinequality was unnecessary in this country. If all men werecreated equal then were should look past race, saying, Letus discard all these things, and unite as one peoplethroughout this land, until we shall once more stand updeclaring that all men are created equal (Hofstadter, pg.148). On the other hand, Lincoln gave a speech inCharleston, on September 18, 1858, a primarily pro-slaverytown and gave a totally contrary opinion. Lincoln statedthat he is not, or has ever been, in favor of outlet slavesand giving them social equality. Lincoln stated... ... he gave conflicting beliefsabout slavery to attain the necessary votes to elect him tooffice. Then, once the Civil War began, he was justtrying to preserve what was left of an unstable union. Thetrue Emancipators of slavery lie in the grass roots peopleof that time, the abolitionists, Frederick Douglas, and theslaves themselves. The slaves earned their freedom. Lincoln was merely a man who let the events of his eradetermine his policy. I claim not to have controlled events but confess plainly that events controlled me.BibliographyBibliography 1. John Majewski, History of the American Peoples 1840-1920 (Dubuque Kent/ work Publishing, 2001). 2. Richard Hofstadter, The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It (New York Random House Publishing, 1973).