When I was in elementary and middle school, I learned that Abraham Lincoln was a defender of racial equality, fighting the “evil South” and their backwards institution of slavery. However, primary documents from Lincoln affirmed that he was not the white knight of Emancipation, but a flawed man who held many of the racist views of his era. One must remember that Lincoln was a politician first, and preserving the Union was his first goal. If the Union could have been saved without Emancipation, Lincoln would never have freed the slaves.
In his speeches during the Senate Election of 1858, Lincoln stated that he WAS NOT in support of freeing slaves in places where slavery already existed. He said, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so” (Document 1). In fact, he believed that whites were inherently superior to blacks. The races were so entirely different that he could not see them peacefully existing together. The power to emancipate slaves lied with the state government, not with Congress or the Presidency. And as a member of the state legislature, Lincoln stated, “I give him the most solemn pledge that I will to the very last stand by the law of this State, which forbids the marrying of white people with negroes” (Document 2). It is hard to think that the man remembered by young children for freeing slaves held such vehemently racist views just five years before issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.
What Lincoln supported was the Republican platform that slavery should not expand into new territories acquired by the United States. The fact that the United States was a country founded on the principles of civil liberties, yet allowed the spread of a system that denied humans their basic rights to exist was hypocritical. The United States could not be the leading democratic power, yet allow the institution of slavery to enter new states. However, the South misunderstood Lincoln’s antagonism towards the spread of slavery as a move to end the system entirely. Lincoln tried to assuage that fear, “You think slavery is right and ought to be extended; while we think it is wrong and ought to be restricted. That I suppose is the rub. It certainly is the only substantial difference between us” (Document 5). Lincoln could not convince the South that he was only against the expansion of slavery, and the South seceded from the Union.
Even during the early years of the Civil War, slavery was not a key cause of the war and the thought of emancipation was not even entertained. Once Lincoln considered the idea of freeing the slaves, he believed they could not peacefully remain in the United States. He initially proposed that they return to Liberia, their “homeland,” where they would be free with others of their race. When that proved to be too expensive, he suggested they form a colony in Central America. If Lincoln could have reunited the Union without resorting to emaciating the slaves, he would have done so. But as it became clear that the North and the South would not resolve their issues, he entertained the idea of freeing the slaves. While he did not believe that the Federal government necessarily had the power to demand emancipation, the main role of the government was to preserve the Union. And when that required the freeing of slaves, the Federal government issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
While Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in 1863, he did not do it because he was the great humanitarian who opposed slavery. It was merely the only option to reunite the waring states. Lincoln wrote in 1862, “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union” (Document 8). Lincoln was simply a politician, trying to save his country from any more bloodshed. To claim he was a great humanitarian is a lie, to state he was a great politician is a truthful statement.