Was Pres Lincoln a racist or a prodcut of his era

ember said:
yeah thats main stream media though and they sensationalize everything, now is that their fault or society they only report what sells? mmmmmm
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Not just the MSM, but also the history textbooks, movies, novels, etc. It is a practice they have used since the early days of mankind.
 
Dont you know if you wanna be rich in america find a new way to make people believe you can quickly now is the key:

get rich
lose weight
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Why start and stop with Lincoln
What about Washington
What about Jefferson
What about Lee
What about Grant
 
Lincoln is cool because he free black from being slave.
Later... Lincoln might be gay...
Now... you or whatever say that Lincoln was racist.
Who care!
 
I had read that Lincoln had considered shipping all the slaves back to Africa because their ancestors was wrongly taken from their homeland for the purpose of enslaving them and he felt that sending them back would correct the wrong.

If that's true, makes me wonder at what time frame he said it, before or after the former slaves joined the union to fight the south?

Yiz
 
Off topic.

Honestly, some white people are still racist today from what I observed. They can't help it.

I've seen many white racist people in many different movie based on a true story like "Mississippi Burning" (1988). Many history back then.
 
well if we are honest we all have some sort of prejudice. I would say my prejudice is narcissism and pretentious, I have little patience for these personality types and once my good opinion is lost it is hard to gain back.
 
I don't believe he was a racist. I've read many books. It was insane. He was extremely unpopular during his first term due to the Civil War. Copperheads and others from North had tried to scheme to bring him down. Lincoln had to do everything to preserve the Union. Three months just before his first term expired, he did not have time to campaign for his second term, because his first priority was to preserve the Union. He actually thought he was going to lose the election, but General Sherman finally defeated Atlanta (It is the symbol of South) at the time. It was a huge victory for Union and Lincoln.

Lincoln had believed that the war should end slavery. At first, he opened negotiations with border state men on how to free the slaves in those states. He did met with them twice and wrote them a letter (third time), trying to work out a deal for compensated emancipation. He had long supported the colonization movement. According to one of his plans, freed blacks would be sent to other parts of the New World. However, the plan failed because the border-state men refused to cooperate with him. Lincoln offered proposals, but they rejected them all. Talks broke off. Later, Lincoln decided to draft an emancipation proclamation. At about the same time, Congress passed the Second Confiscation Act that indicates escaped slaves who belonged to rebels would not be returned to their masters. Escaped slaves would be forever free under the law. That act gave him the authority to employ blacks however he thought best and to colonize them overseas. They were called black "contrabands". According to wiki, "Contraband was a term commonly used in the United States during the American Civil War to describe a new status for certain escaped slaves or those who came into the possession of Union forces." Lincoln had thought about it so much, and thought it was essential to the preservation of the Union.

But he had to wait for the moment when he could issue the Emancipation Proclamation. He kept the document in his drawer. Lincoln and his cabinet were the only ones who knew about the secret document.

I suggest reading several books that provide details rather than general knowledge. Just saying.
 
posts from hell said:
Are we born racists? Or are we product of our society? That should be answered first.
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Great base question , my friend, PFH, I miss you..smile...I saw this myself. when I was younger I knew a family in my neighborhood who were very racists, they had a young son. I remember feeling so sorry for him being bombarded with that mentality every day,BUT..met that boy 12 years later, he was 17 then..he did not smoke, drink and was NOT racist or predjudice of anyone. YAY
he may have been an exception bit it proved, sometimes , some people think for themselves no matter what. Peace to you M♥♥♥
 
Banjo said:
Both.
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Hmmm.. I think Mr Lincoln was an intelligent man who would have only reached his position as president by being part of the world as it was then. He did own slaves. He did have "house slaves" that were taught to read and write.
He was known to vote against slavery, but in the end his views cost him his life.
So...I agree both....
 
MidnightSun said:
Hmmm.. I think Mr Lincoln was an intelligent man who would have only reached his position as president by being part of the world as it was then. He did own slaves. He did have "house slaves" that were taught to read and write.
He was known to vote against slavery, but in the end his views cost him his life.
So...I agree both....
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Lincoln never owned any slaves. Perhaps you have confused him with other presidents who did.

http://home.nas.com/lopresti/ps.htm
 
yagazn said:
Off topic.

Honestly, some white people are still racist today from what I observed. They can't help it.

I've seen many white racist people in many different movie based on a true story like "Mississippi Burning" (1988). Many history back then.
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Very ironic.

You've called me a racist for posting a joke. And now you come in here and say "Some white people".....

Racism does exist in all races, that I will give. Just a food for thought.
 
yizuman said:
I had read that Lincoln had considered shipping all the slaves back to Africa because their ancestors was wrongly taken from their homeland for the purpose of enslaving them and he felt that sending them back would correct the wrong.

Yiz
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At the time, it probably would have been the best thing to do for America, and maybe even what many of the freed slaves would have wanted...though I don't think Africa would have wanted them back, at the time the country was one of I think only 2 countries still active in selling slaves - I doubt they would have appreciated the huge number that would have been sent back. Africa maybe would have just turned around and sold them to someone else..or worse.
 
Barbaro said:
I don't believe he was a racist. I've read many books. It was insane. He was extremely unpopular during his first term due to the Civil War. Copperheads and others from North had tried to scheme to bring him down. Lincoln had to do everything to preserve the Union. Three months just before his first term expired, he did not have time to campaign for his second term, because his first priority was to preserve the Union. He actually thought he was going to lose the election, but General Sherman finally defeated Atlanta (It is the symbol of South) at the time. It was a huge victory for Union and Lincoln.

Lincoln had believed that the war should end slavery. At first, he opened negotiations with border state men on how to free the slaves in those states. He did met with them twice and wrote them a letter (third time), trying to work out a deal for compensated emancipation. He had long supported the colonization movement. According to one of his plans, freed blacks would be sent to other parts of the New World. However, the plan failed because the border-state men refused to cooperate with him. Lincoln offered proposals, but they rejected them all. Talks broke off. Later, Lincoln decided to draft an emancipation proclamation. At about the same time, Congress passed the Second Confiscation Act that indicates escaped slaves who belonged to rebels would not be returned to their masters. Escaped slaves would be forever free under the law. That act gave him the authority to employ blacks however he thought best and to colonize them overseas. They were called black "contrabands". According to wiki, "Contraband was a term commonly used in the United States during the American Civil War to describe a new status for certain escaped slaves or those who came into the possession of Union forces." Lincoln had thought about it so much, and thought it was essential to the preservation of the Union.

But he had to wait for the moment when he could issue the Emancipation Proclamation. He kept the document in his drawer. Lincoln and his cabinet were the only ones who knew about the secret document.

I suggest reading several books that provide details rather than general knowledge. Just saying.
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I can't speak for others but me myself, I do my research I read several opinions before I come to my own conclusion, and while Pres. Lincoln was against slavery of human beings, uh yes he was a racist.
"I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races - that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied everything." ---Lincoln

Now some may say well he was a byproduct of his era but I believe we all have a moral compass and in the same manner that compass spoke to him about slavery, it spoke to him about race and that showed fruition when his opinion of blacks finally started to change and that wasn't until he had his first meeting with Frederick Douglas the first black he considered an equal intellectual.

I don't pretend to be a know it all but I am not lazy and I do my research especially on historical facts its a love of mine ya know.
 
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