Abraham Lincoln Essay, Research Paper
Many Americans believe that Abraham Lincoln was the
“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
“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, “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, “I am not,
nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of
Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office” (Hofstadter,
pg. 150). Clearly, Lincoln was an undecided politician who
was merely looking for votes. He never had any intention of
ending slavery, but was rather looking for his own personal
gains, and by appealing to both ideologies; he gained the
necessary support to elect his president.
From the beginning of his presidency, at Lincoln’s First
Inaugural Address, it is clear to see he was not the “Great
Emancipator,” but a man trying to maintain the unity of the
nation. Lincoln believed that he had “no purpose, directly
or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery
in the States where it exists.” Lincoln continues and says,
“I believe that I have not lawful right to do so, and I have
no inclination to do so” (Majewaki, pg. 70). Lincoln was a
humble politician. He in no way wanted to endanger the
unity of the nation. But it is important to see that his
First Inaugural Address was given in March of 1861, already
after the Southern states had succeded from the nation.
What Lincoln was trying to accomplish was to return the
Southern states to the union. Lincoln even goes as far as
notifying the South that certain Legislatures have been
passed to ensure their state rights, and the
constitutionalism of slavery, “holding such a provision to
now be implied constitutional law,” and that “(he) has no
objection to its being made express and irrevocable.”
(Majewski, pg. 75). Also, in a letter to Horace Greeley,
Lincoln sates that unity of the nation is his primarily
goal, with or without slavery. “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.” Lincoln goes on and says,
“What I do about the slavery, and the colored race, I do
because I believe it will help save the Union” (Majewski,
pg. 77). Thus, it is clear to understand that Lincoln’s
primary goal was to save the union and not achieve the
emancipation of slaves.
Even during the civil war, when the slavery issues were
at its most debated, Lincoln still looked for national unity
over emancipation of the slaves. First of ll, the Critteden
Resolution, which declared that the war with the seceded
states was not based on conquest or subjugation, had failed.
Secondly, Lincoln’s plan of compensated emancipation had
also failed. Lincoln had an alternative idea of dealing
with the Negro. By colonizing the Negroes in Central
America, Lincoln would be doing two things: one unifying the
nation, and secondly was allowing more work for the free
white worker. But this also failed. Lincoln was not in a
tough predicament. Losing popular sentiment among
Northerners, Lincoln had to take an alternative position,
something that he had never wanted to do, side with anti-
slavery. “Until I felt that we had reached the end of our
rope on the plan of oper
had played our last cards, and must change our tactics, or
lose the game. I know determined upon the adoption of the
emancipation policy.” (Hofstadter, pg. 169).Once Lincoln’s
original plan had failed he had no choice but to look
towards emancipation, otherwise national unity
would be impossible. This was the basis for Lincoln’s
Emancipation Proclamation.
The Emancipation proclamation was written in 1863, in a
time when northerners felt that the Civil War was coming to
an end. Most importantly, for the unity of the nation,
Lincoln used this document as a military necessity. This
document in other terms was also a justification of the
Civil War. It states that such a war had taken place
because certain states had joined in an armed rebellion
against the unity of the United States. Lincoln was a man
who seized on timely events to emphasize his point. As
Lincoln states himself, “I claim not to have controlled
events but confess plainly that events have controlled me”.
(Hofstadter, pg. 171). Thus, Lincoln’s original intent was
never the emancipation of slaves, but the unity of a nation.
Lincoln was not the “Great Emancipator”, but a man who was
made by the events that occurred around him.
Lincoln was a politician. His goal since his
inauguration was to maintain the unity of a nation and not
to achieve the emancipation of the slaves. He tried to
achieve this goal by any means necessary, by appealing to
both the abolitionists and the pro-slavery southerners. Only
in a last attempt, when unity seemed unachievable did
Lincoln compose the Emancipation Proclamation. But if
Lincoln is not deserving of the “Great Emancipator” title,
then who freed the slaves? The emancipation of the slaves
was achieved by various factors, which included the
abolitionist movement, the direct effect of the civil war,
and the role of slaves themselves.
One of the greatest influences in the emancipation of
the slaves was the role of the abolitionists. Forms of
abolitionism came in many different ways. For example, the
Quakers played an important role in portrayed ex-slaves were
good workers; men who were said to “work well”. Also , they
noticed that thy were very religious. “When we entered,
they were all kneeling, at prayer”. This depiction allowed
allowed many northerners to better understand these ex-
slaves, since most of them had never seen them before.
(Majewski, pg.64).
Another great influence was Frederick Douglas. Douglas
pushed for the rights of the Negro and demanded their right
to vote. He believed that it was a contradiction of what
the American government stood for, this ideal of “universal
suffrage”, if the Negro himself could have the right to
vote. “No class of men can, without insulting their own
nature, be content with any depravation of their rights.”
As more and more Negroes began to be educated, they
understand that they were being denied their basic right,
the right to vote. “We want it, again, as a means for
educating our race” (Majewski, pg. 86). People like
Frederick Douglas were one the key reasons for the
emancipation of slaves. He was educating not only his
fellow Negroes, but the Northerners as well.
Finally, there was the Civil War. The civil war was the
most important factor deciding the issue of slavery, Lincoln
cannot be called the “Great Emancipator” because he had no
direct control over the soldiers that fought the battles.
It is also important to understand that many fugitive slaves
began to fight on the Northerner side. Slaves were willing
and able to put their lives on the line for freedom. The
civil war determined the issue of slavery. What would have
happened if the South had been victorious? The union would
have permanently been divided and slavery would probably
still exist today. No matter all the ideologies that
Lincoln believed in, he was not the “Great Emancipator.” A
southern victory would have left him powerless and his
Emancipation Proclamation would have been void.
Lincoln cannot be called the “Great Emancipator” because
his ideologies were conflicting with his true intentions.
In pursuing the presidency, 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 “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.
“I claim not to have controlled events but confess plainly
that events controlled me.”