Lincoln and Negro Slavery: I Haven't Got Time for the Pain

'We been expecting you a couple of days and more. What's kep' you?—boat get aground?' ...'It warn't the grounding—that didn't keep us back but a little. We blowed a cylinder-head.''Good gracious! Anybody hurt?''No'm. Killed a nigger.''Well it's lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt.'Mark Twain, Huckleberry FinnThere doesn't seem to be much more to say about Abraham Lincoln's attitudes toward slavery. He thought it was evil morally, that it threatened the Union, that it endangered civil liberties, that it made the nation a hypocrite in its foreign relations, that it soiled the name of the republic, and, especially, that it created an economic environment where men and women were denied the fruits they had earned from their labor. He thought that neither supposedly inferior color nor intellect justified it. And it had the capacity to make him miserable. He summarized his hostility to slavery at Ottawa debating Stephen A. Douglas and deploring the 'real zeal' for its spread: I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world—enables the enemies of free institutions, with plausibility, to taunt us as hypocrites—causes the real friends of freedom to doubt our sincerity, and especially because it forces so many really good men amongst ourselves into an open war with the very fundamental principles of civil liberty—criticizing the Declaration of Independence, and insisting that there is no right principle of action but self interest.1Eloquent words, as usual, but missing here, and missing almost everywhere (though not totally) from Lincoln's writings both public and private, and from recollections of his thoughts, is the fundamental horror and sin of slavery: It encouraged and propagated the torture and the violation of millions of dependent and ultimately powerless children, women, and men. It allowed rape, murder, mutilation, theft, and the destruction of families, degradation of daily life, and the humiliation and debasement of an entire body of people for generations. Slavery was bad because it profoundly damaged black people day by day, for too many score years before and after emancipation.2 Yet when Lincoln spoke and wrote about the evils of slavery, the damage to black people is a drop in the bucket.There are drops in that bucket. To understand Lincoln's feelings toward slavery, it is important to measure them. In doing so we can get a sense of why slaves were freed and why they were not. In that understanding is an opportunity to understand Lincoln, his times, and the modern world's use of him.There is a modern frame of mind that seems to demand that good things must be done from the purest motives; that we should measure the inner soul or character of a person to determine her/his true worth. From President Bill Clinton's winning capacity to 'feel your pain' to his troubles because his personal sexual morals were at issue and through reassurance that President George W. Bush is a 'compassionate Conservative,' we see this willingness to seek and judge the inner leaders, not just their policies. Lincoln hasn't escaped this modern judgment. He is often judged not only by deed, but also by motive, not by result, but by personal incentive. So much of the recent flap about Lincoln's racism is really a fight about what his motives were. Lerone Bennett's work essentially argues that Lincoln's emancipation efforts were a sham because Lincoln was driven by a 'white Dream' of a white America. Personally, says Bennett, Lincoln did not believe that blacks could be equal to whites. 'To say that he was a racist is to understate the case.' Further, Lincoln 'pretended to be an emancipator for tactical reasons.'3Lincoln is especially susceptible to that kind of judgment. For no other leader have so many pure personal qualities been claimed. Especially he has been designated as our most compassionate leader. Stories of his tenderheartedness pervade Lincoln writings, especially popular writings. He pardoned soldiers in large numbers—whenever he could. He was merciful to Confederate soldiers. He commuted the sentences of hundreds of Native Americans, he treated individuals and states with compassion, 'with malice toward none, with charity for all.' What he dealt with was 'too vast for malicious dealing.' David R. Locke, better known as humorist Petroleum V. Nasby, said, 'He was as tenderhearted as a schoolgirl.' Writing to Henry Wilson, William Herndon attributed Lincoln's feelings toward slavery to the fact that 'Lincoln is a man of heart—aye as gentle as a woman's and as tender—but he has a will as strong as iron. He therefore loves all mankind—hates Slavery—every form of Despotism.' Wilson agreed: 'Your description of the Loving, tender, true, Just man was a correct one.'4Modern writing carries this vision of a compassionate Lincoln to an extreme. A to the Lincoln has been almost and and you him with the of and often the of his with its of toward and charity for but more often not the that this 'with in the right as us to see the almost at the of his Lincoln of the most Henry was this in the of our Lincoln their their Lincoln's was Lincoln the of the emancipator of a true true with a to the of the we and its as the that has Lincoln has is no doubt that Lincoln could be that the public that Lincoln was a compassionate man is that he was it to friends and the to and a that has been is with that I of the of your kind and and especially that it is your what is in In this of to and to the it with because it have to it. I to of your is not with can not that you will not this And it is a are to be To is true, will make you I have had to what I and you only to believe it to better at of your of an will be a in your of a and you have known as 'Lincoln the allowed hundreds of to be were in for the in He for of Lincoln a to as many as to the of soldiers were his not also of the that Lincoln a when a more most Lincoln could and and the he to he was a but William of Lincoln's the the good of the really his not believe that he or but the right to the is that he in the is by the and almost daily and he is to see and understand and with and his qualities in all were qualities when it to the of is very of Lincoln's to the of slaves in at in a of And slavery was a that Lincoln spoke hundreds of only about from recollections from friends and by men William in black is not to Lerone Lincoln as a racist because he at slavery from the Lincoln to the issue it as as they the fact of Lincoln's in black but what it In the most recent of Lincoln's that spoke slavery he was the and not for its black he was not by injustice to its to for their that Lincoln to slavery not by the of He Lincoln's and no In the Lincoln that be allowed to a and And Lincoln and both when slaves from the were slavery the but he is at to Lincoln's in emancipation and to that Lincoln's for the his when it was for He doesn't very the and of Lincoln's of And more most also the of Lincoln's hostility to slavery. Douglas Wilson says only that 'Lincoln slavery all his He to a by Lincoln and to that but says more about the of their Lincoln's of to and and his at and he the that Lincoln the of the after many that Lincoln slavery, to Lincoln's his hostility to slavery. that it was that Lincoln but no what other of have In doing he in their of the of Lincoln the that Lincoln was by the slavery he in but that that Lincoln in had not He is of of we will at of Lincoln's at doesn't the of Lincoln's most recent of Lincoln, by that Lincoln toward of black to that the was not for and argues that in his slavery, Lincoln to the of his a to and both of as we are argues that Lincoln did not in but he did a that that blacks day through their Yet the of not the to most from the slavery that Lincoln most about Lincoln and were in of the by Bennett's that Lincoln was a a known Lincoln the racism of his as he toward and in a with Lincoln had with slavery after he to and And is of his he was years of Lincoln was not in the of much For of the for was only with the the often to be not so much slavery as the I when he Lincoln's no can doubt his for the He keep from Lincoln's for black and at the the did not his feelings his Declaration of that all men were created equal was his is not to say that in his the and had to it. the issue was Lincoln had to and he did by that he the were but argues that they were more and not of his true In Lincoln's were and He that black people not his equal or equal to in He that or blacks had to be he that his be he for racist And when he the to black in a that all the of Lincoln was to the Union, that he toward not from them. Lincoln that he was just also that the of Americans, by no a of to had and was not to his For the blacks were his as had was a by Lincoln's Lincoln the of the that Lincoln did not and didn't believe black He Lincoln as a of Henry that blacks an equal with white but not In that blacks were of of and of of what to as a of the Lincoln's in as a that the was a white in his of He that in the white blacks Lincoln because he had in his not in his he that man was man in fundamental Lincoln and that black the to a this ultimately slavery itself. Lincoln the as man but not a to Lincoln's and of his of to just what he was or in his to slavery. I it is important to do so in to the of Lincoln's slavery and to understand the of and the qualities of the slavery that he have a 'Lincoln black It is to get the of that fact and to understand I have been that Lincoln's toward slaves was with the vision of a Lincoln, the of it. of the compassionate Lincoln to a by Lincoln's a by and a that Lincoln wrote in to of his as the for Lincoln's I his to by and both of a to Lincoln the to in and in he with the with and, of of the has a It in a by an by to by with the in We have about about the fact and is the we have and see what it the a day in when he and the Lincoln a to at Lincoln's and that he his his black and white and for to And the real horror the of Lincoln, to it to a I get a at that it is and It is an that be into the of both men. this or of were to it to Lincoln's toward also has it in his of it from it to it to the Lincoln It is almost the a and Lincoln was and I get a to this it seems to have his about the but he didn't it to the He many years before the his Lincoln's with And it years after it Lincoln's personal not at man did good was a good at of he be right about the of the for seems that their the work of or It is that the of have the for also has its more I the in an with William Herndon in to Lincoln a the in with and the for Lincoln had the to slavery in all its in is the of slavery: it was we Lincoln from can say that it was this that he his of slavery: it its in him I have him seems of Lincoln's of slavery because blacks it was the of people It be but Lincoln writing an for the in seems to make a of that made it to a and to be from at had back from Lincoln of the but says that his attitudes toward He of the but it to that in the when this that Lincoln say about the after Lincoln no of slavery or the He to his where that he is a to Lincoln's and says that also the It is the kind of in a personal to friends and what is the of in a Lincoln doesn't and to his in the of the are not or or about in as Lincoln to get of the in in to Herndon is the in a by Herndon that can say that this can be Lincoln this him and Lincoln has this to and this too Herndon was much more of an Lincoln and it was Herndon was the that William and at also is that in an with when is the but about Lincoln's at slavery. He make the that can be and is no in or the they of Lincoln's to the but do not with Lincoln's feelings about the of slavery in Lincoln's at the there is a in by Lincoln when was an and in the Lincoln when I was only a you are and the are in that Lincoln is about he doesn't say so and after to years not much to the other recollections of Lincoln's by to there is about Lincoln's to but It was and Lincoln wrote to his the of his Lincoln had with a at Lincoln a into the of slavery. the the example was the for the of A him had did not use the in this he did of in of and was to in the the description of the slaves by wrote of had an the and to the so many a the did not so much as the fact that were from the of their their their and and and and many of from their and children, and into slavery where the of the is more and other was a that have and in the writings of we Yet Lincoln that of the and the to the horror they were all they were the most and A had been from his the and and true it is that the to the or in other words, that He the of He the to be better his Lincoln had William of the of of the of white women and children, hundreds of and in and not a It was after that he wrote this most and the that slavery black And Lincoln is in and and not the of he horror with an that black have a capacity to with Lincoln was writing to a he slavery. was of the that his and was also a and he have to in his he have been for or the of is a more personal that it almost of the we to is his of Lincoln his all the he was not a when he most he the to the of his him had him for the him almost after almost that they did not that they him of William Lincoln was a man his and his in his David has that Lincoln had only friends in his life, and It is that neither It is also that both men were and slavery it is that a for the of about Lincoln's feelings toward their he just didn't and the that he most was that he didn't the the more that has for And so we to for to the of Lincoln's attitudes toward black as we Lincoln's his his for the very at we do Lincoln's that slavery that it black people miserable. Lincoln wrote to the is the as Lincoln his you and I had a from to as I that from to the of the there were or a with was of to and I see it I the or other in are not the only Lincoln to also troubles I hate to see the and and back to their and but I and keep that slavery Lincoln for its to in his mind the and Lincoln has us that and slaves are a to And as have what is about this is its to the to Lincoln wrote about the that blacks could in the of he that vision by that of And his to the slaves have had the of that blacks the Lincoln or is his has the to make he And as for the of it is true that Lincoln did about the of slavery from the it is of the in Lincoln's writings a of years in the of women, and slaves and ultimately an entire we can get a better understanding of Lincoln's by at of his with slavery. It with In all Lincoln the of his in and was a and black people were we have no that he the to or the blacks he or He did not in a where many blacks and so had to with as he he about in and slavery as the states the and or not to the of the was and in the of states relations, to slavery. And he have known about the a in in when he was about Lincoln's attitudes toward when he was years He and the other from a in the that in to had and the many evils of slavery as all the as for and and had to that slavery in the of and the a of to in of a they that they of and that the made slavery to the about the evils of Lincoln and their did the It was the Slavery was both and that injustice or bad Lincoln and into their the that to the evils of slavery them. was understanding that slaves but it that by the people that To their Lincoln and at the injustice of slavery, but was about the that slaves For the the was in the of their Lincoln had only a or for that with writings. In his the that slavery Slavery It of a his from for and from and of the at after of In to he of slaves and and of And all of this was only what was in what had been by the in and from the to Lincoln that his slavery in the of the of in a of the of the and of and the and of all and in with that neither of or had a about the evils of slavery the of was with to Lincoln or to It is not as in the were all the and the this of the of the of murder, and other spoke of slaves and of it is true, as William for the of the did not a of it is also true as he for the of the were Lincoln was a of man in the of the before the into a to slavery that almost years for it to He emancipation to black and white to into to in the economic Lincoln was to the and the of to about in the nation that that and for a of from the he had It also that there was he could more the of and he with his his and the he in his to Lincoln, personal were with the of and the they were to were the the things he could He much for by the slaves that he before Lincoln a In his he that a black man in of murder, had been by a and to for his where his horror to Lincoln that the was his life, by the of an murder, of the most and of the and had he not as he he must have by of the in a very to him it was as the it as it could have Lincoln's was that people should the not that a black man to was a he a after Lincoln could at times, and in the of slavery. He when the in what slavery to all you have in the you have him and made it for him to be but as the of the you have his and him where the of is in that the of the And this the by black men women and And Lincoln, as was his to see white in black slavery. threatened white you that the you have will not and Lincoln spoke and slavery after to It is a it is a a the of monstrous evil to the all with no more that slavery is or are to and to the Slavery the Union, civil and especially the of free to that they can and the fruits of their labor. In the of slavery the of the of the and the Declaration of in the principle of equal there is only in the years of and from to to what slaves the In Douglas a Lincoln that public slavery. Douglas was a that or In the Lincoln the from black of slavery, Lincoln said, demand that must their 'We must for we must our that slavery is a they the him to the do not the or the he but us with him to he when they say it is not by the he but he because we him to to the of slavery did not from with has that were at a of Lincoln's by had been there the years that the at and and the years that Lincoln in the He and had black and blacks the had a of in Lincoln a black William the and had his by him or the other black in He blacks of He was personal with people in and He into the of He as an and for about a He and and and in for about their to in to him in the William to see of He also of the of blacks and and at were by a in Lincoln not only the at he friends with and David him see the that day in the was an of both public and of slavery and racism to be Lincoln almost that is Lincoln's of in was from a white not Lincoln's from the of Lincoln did say that he not blacks the right to or to a racist the to him in the It is that in with racist Lincoln's only was to about and to say about what be denied racist Lincoln the of black Americans, free and did not believe that blacks were environment and damaged them. to a of blacks in the for a to blacks to or the has been as the of Lincoln's And in this he said, and we are We have us a almost other is a to us as I your very many of by from your also a and of the of in Lincoln did not with In the he that the black of the be of as white and not have been He that not of a could white free of their was a that and it to be as both Lerone and have Lincoln in for was and was of that the to slaves and to white that emancipation not white It Lincoln's understanding that white it had to be in of in America. Lincoln his public for with an that blacks did not or the their in the no to white of black to endangered blacks not when emancipation the to the and of all from an open did not the of slaves to his He could make racist use the but almost do so to or And his the and evils of slavery his hostility to the the of slaves were for Lincoln's about is the of and his personal and white in the of black their of from free to Lincoln of for as he Lincoln had to very that he was an him for Lincoln a as a and he to more. He had to an as as their as in the with his him with and all the evils of and the of the were but popular when Lincoln his of the in the what were In in of the years he of the of the Lincoln's in and in no to in the and years when Lincoln's to in Lincoln's there have been other to his of he was of in for for for the of for to the the of the his that and in all to his about the of and It is true that Lincoln the of his with recollections of by and to with when Lincoln in writing that kind of of his most was a for the of a had been also be a of Lincoln spoke slavery to to the most of the the were to be with in of often people and just as they for Lincoln also have been the of women and to the of by in were from and slaves to popular and other this in this And were to and and of Lincoln's and the Lincoln have of and other women for their and their as a to the of slavery. to believe that they very about the of they have done for them. the feelings of was a to slavery itself. the with to the of the and he spoke often of Lincoln to the to the feelings of his also his of and a designated as at the He his as as to his He very into the of men but very was a of and with other and the He the many when he could have to be with and his was men but that and a not in to not a a more about Lincoln's of for the what is is was in freedom to the did an to in the what freed the slaves was white that slavery white people and that black freedom not them. of that black soldiers were in their Lincoln's in with the of a of that the much or Lincoln for the slaves didn't He very their he did was to free them. Lincoln's have made more they should of Lincoln's of for the of slavery. Lerone Bennett's of racism is only the most have from into the have it almost by his I that Lincoln's of for was essentially In a it didn't Lincoln had the of William or of a He didn't have to or feelings from his do the right for the right fact that Lincoln a that the and its he a that and his he the of freedom for in his was more in doing or of the of the and the slaves especially, have been Lincoln their is a they were that he freed them.

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