Lincoln on Inequality
“I think it cannot be shown that when I have once taken a position, I have ever retreated from it.”
This quote spoken by Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglass in 1863 is telling of his character in multiple regards. It has been cited within the context of his humble personality when he admitted he was not as quick and willing to support black soldiers as Douglass wished. However, it is also reflective of his strength of conviction in the beliefs he held throughout his life. While most historians agree that Lincoln was thoroughly consistent in his declaration that he was antislavery, it is less accepted as to the motivation of why he was antislavery. To address the motivations behind his antislavery beliefs and goal of the end of slavery requires that his beliefs about the role and status of African Americans be established.
Opinion amongst historians is diverse and wide-ranging in regards to how Abraham Lincoln approached issues of race and equality. Don Fehrenbacher criticized Lincoln’s failure to move beyond the immediate horror and damage of slavery towards confronting, “that systematic racial discrimination might be, like slavery, a stain on the national honor and a crime against mankind.”[1] David Lightner found that Lincoln employed a politician’s touch in determining when to support black equality in America and how much equality white Americans were willing to tolerate. “I believe that if Lincoln’s words and actions are understood within their specific historical context, it becomes evident that when Lincoln said or did things that were inconsistent with egalitarianism, he did so with the deliberate intent of misleading his countrymen with regard to his personal beliefs and ultimate aims.”[2] Lerone Bennet took the provocative stance that Lincoln did not care about black Americans at all, “Insofar as it can be said that Lincoln had a policy it was to rid America of both slaves and blacks.”[3] Others employ historical empathy in categorizing Lincoln’s views and attitudes on racial equality within the context of the generational attitudes of the mid-nineteenth century, “. . .whether Lincoln changed his mind, the weight of evidence and logic seems to support the hypothesis that Lincoln died with the same basic views on black-white relations that he had held tenaciously throughout his public life.”[4]
From a limited summary of the historical research on Lincoln’s personal beliefs about the role and status of black Americans in society, it is clear that his views were complex. At the most they were in flux and evolving and, at the least, they were stunted and inconsistent. Considering that his life was cut short before he could more specifically develop what post-emancipation America would look like, it is valuable for historians to consider how his beliefs on racial equality could have influenced the role and status of black Americans after the Civil War. By analyzing and evaluating a selection of primary documents and statements, both public and private, made by Lincoln throughout his life, one will not find an absolute answer to what his beliefs were about racial equality. But one can gain a clearer picture of the fault lines that Abraham Lincoln stood on and what distinctions he was willing to make about the role of African Americans in society. Throughout the selection of documents taken from three pivotal periods in Lincoln’s life consider the following question: How did Abraham Lincoln differ between his beliefs regarding racial equality and slavery?
Early Political Career
Abraham Lincoln consistently attested to his firm belief that slavery was wrong. In several documents both private and public, Lincoln addressed that slavery was a societal evil. He consistently framed slavery in terms of its effect on society without providing an equal consideration towards its effect on the lives and experiences of individual slaves. In the 21st century, the issues of freedom, natural rights, and equality share a common real estate in American minds. However, Lincoln, early in his political career, rarely addressed both of these issues at the same time. This compartmentalization of his views on issues central to race provide a consistent obstacle for historians to overcome in clearly understanding how Lincoln approached the role of black Americans in America. When studying Lincoln’s early correspondence, public comments, documents, etc. before his political reemergence in the 1850s, it is clear that he addressed the issue of slavery more directly than he did the issue of racial equality in America. Likewise, it is important to note how he addressed abolitionists of the 1830s and 1840s. While he was antislavery, he made sure to distance himself from the abolitionist societies of the day.
In larger political campaigns later in his life, Lincoln referred to his longstanding and firm antislavery beliefs. Studying this set of primary source documents can offer a baseline of Lincoln’s views on slavery and racial equality in his early political life. When reading and evaluating this document set, consider the following questions:
According to Lincoln before the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, why was slavery evil?
How did Abraham Lincoln engage the issue of slavery before the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854?
According to Abraham Lincoln, could black Americans be equal with white Americans in society?
Protest on Slavery (1837)
Letter to Mary Speed (1841)
Letter to Williamson Durley (1845)