5 Shocking Things You Were Never Taught About Abraham Lincoln
4. He Did Not Originally Want To Free The Slaves
So weve concluded that he was a racist. But slavery is a different issue, slightly. He said that if he could save the Union without freeing any slaves, he would gladly do so. We have established his dislike for black people already and his attitude towards slavery was a difficult one. It has become apparent that it had not been a major concern of his until the threat to the Union. He was however, a strong voice in support of the ACS (American Colonization Society) which sought to colonize black people in any country which was not the United States. During his early Presidency he desired nothing more than to have all blacks shipped to the Americas, where he had acquired land. He eventually became a strong voice to ship them all to Liberia and attempted to have them settle in Haiti. Freeing the slaves was political. The war needed to end. Too many lived had been lost at his orders. But when black people were allowed to fight for the Union, he thought it morally wrong to leave them in shackles. He struggled through his life with his absolute hatred of black people and his moral attitude towards slavery. In a letter to leading newspaper man Horace Greely he said My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it. Eventually, as a political tool, he freed the slaves of the rebel states, areas at that time he did not have power over. But of course he maintained slavery in the Union states, as a reward for their loyalty.
So weve concluded that he was a racist. But slavery is a different issue, slightly. He said that if he could save the Union without freeing any slaves, he would gladly do so. We have established his dislike for black people already and his attitude towards slavery was a difficult one. It has become apparent that it had not been a major concern of his until the threat to the Union. He was however, a strong voice in support of the ACS (American Colonization Society) which sought to colonize black people in any country which was not the United States. During his early Presidency he desired nothing more than to have all blacks shipped to the Americas, where he had acquired land. He eventually became a strong voice to ship them all to Liberia and attempted to have them settle in Haiti. Freeing the slaves was political. The war needed to end. Too many lived had been lost at his orders. But when black people were allowed to fight for the Union, he thought it morally wrong to leave them in shackles. He struggled through his life with his absolute hatred of black people and his moral attitude towards slavery. In a letter to leading newspaper man Horace Greely he said My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it. Eventually, as a political tool, he freed the slaves of the rebel states, areas at that time he did not have power over. But of course he maintained slavery in the Union states, as a reward for their loyalty.