Abraham Lincoln and Slavery Essay example -- Slavery Essays

Abraham Lincoln and Slavery Many Americans believe that Abraham Lincoln was the â€Å"Great Emancipator,† the sole individual who ended slavery, and the man who epitomizes freedom. In his brief presidential term, Lincoln dealt with an unstable nation, with the South seceding from the country and in brink of leaving permanently. The differing ideologies between the North and South about the economy and slavery quickly lead to civil war. It was now the duty of Lincoln to maintain the unity of the nation. Therefore, Lincoln is not the â€Å"Great Emancipator† because his primary goals throughout his presidency was always to maintain the unity of the nation and not achieve the emancipation of slaves. First of all, by looking at Lincoln’s road to the white house, one can see that Abraham Lincoln was a man undecided on the issue of slavery. He wisely used the issue of slavery to appeal to both the abolitionists and to Negrophobes, Northerners who were afraid of living side-by- side with Negroes and competing with them for jobs. For example, on July 10th of 1959, Lincoln gave a speech in Chicago, a primarily abolitionist town. Lincoln stated that inequality was unnecessary in this country. If all men were created equal then were should look past race, saying, â€Å"Let us discard all these things, and unite as one people throughout this land, until we shall once more stand up declaring that all men are created equal† (Hofstadter, pg. 148). On the other hand, Lincoln gave a speech in Charleston, on September 18, 1858, a primarily pro-slavery town and gave a totally contrary opinion. Lincoln stated that he is not, or has ever been, in favor of freeing slaves and giving them social equality. Lincoln stated... ... he gave conflicting beliefs about slavery to attain the necessary votes to elect him to office. Then, once the Civil War began, he was merely trying to preserve what was left of an unstable union. The true â€Å"Emancipators† of slavery lie in the grass roots people of that time, the abolitionists, Frederick Douglas, and the slaves themselves. The slaves earned their freedom. Lincoln was merely a man who let the events of his era determine his policy. â€Å"I claim not to have controlled events but confess plainly that events controlled me.† Bibliography: ï » ¿ Bibliography 1. John Majewski, History of the American Peoples: 1840-1920 (Dubuque: Kent/Hunt Publishing, 2001). 2. Richard Hofstadter, The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It (New York: Random House Publishing, 1973).