If President Lincoln's views were no different that 97% of the country then why do confederate supporters persist in judging him by today's standards? He believed that the white race was superior to the black race. Big surprise there, that same view was held by virtually everyone in the country, both in the North and certainly in the south. But unlike most in the North and virtually all in the south, Lincoln believed that the black man was also entitled to those same rights outlined in our Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He believed that the black man should not be bought and sold, that he should be free to make his own life, either here in the United States or elsewhere. Why not judge Lincoln on those beliefs as well, and while you're at it why not judge others of the period for not sharing those beliefs?