I greatly admire Justice Thomas. I understand his sentiments. Lincoln, however, and the myth that surrounds his persona, hide a deeply flawed man with a deeply flawed ideology.
He was not, as many claim, such an advocate of abolition, and only resorted to emancipation when the Union became desparate to defeat the Confederacy. And then he only freed the slaves in confederate States where the Union Army had already invaded and conquered.
Lincoln’s great legacy is seen in an ever-growing, all powerful central, federal government in Washington DC, not the states. In short, Lincoln “freed the slaves” by “enslaving [all] free men.”
No, Lincoln wasn’t the devil as some Southern Partisan’s might charge, but he was far from the virtuous, apolitical idealist he is often portrayed as in popular history and culture...
Speaking of myths that surround Lincoln's persona....
If the Northern states relied on slavery for their economy, I imagined abolition wouldn’t have been a priority.
Who isn't? When we recognize that Lincoln's opponents were even more deeply flawed men with an even more deeply flawed ideology, he doesn't look so bad.
He was not, as many claim, such an advocate of abolition, and only resorted to emancipation when the Union became desparate to defeat the Confederacy.
As opposed to whom? Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, who were just dying to free all the slaves? Lincoln didn't have the authority to free all the slaves, so he took the first step and encouraged Congress and the states to finish up.
And then he only freed the slaves in Confederate States where the Union Army had already invaded and conquered.
Actually not. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in areas still in rebellion. Areas under Federal control, like the parishes in Southern Louisiana were exempted.
But the EP was a sign that slavery was on its way out and would be gone if the Union won the war. That was more than slaves had gotten from any other administration.
Lincoln’s great legacy is seen in an ever-growing, all powerful central, federal government in Washington DC, not the states.
So is George Washington's. So is the Founding Fathers. But, really, the great growth of the federal government had to wait for the 20th century progressives and the New Deal.
In short, Lincoln “freed the slaves” by “enslaving [all] free men.”
Again, as opposed to whom? Do you really think anyone would have been freer in the Confederacy?
Remember, that Davis's government did pretty much what Lincoln's did with respect to civil liberties. What was done wasn't a result of some Lincolnian ideology. It had to do with winning the war.
And all the restrictions Southern states imposed on free speech where slavery was concerned didn't indicate a happy future for liberty in an independent South.
No, Lincoln wasn’t the devil as some Southern Partisan’s might charge, but he was far from the virtuous, apolitical idealist he is often portrayed as in popular history and culture...
Okay, fair enough. Lincoln wasn't by any means perfet. He was a politician, like others who make a living in politics. But you have to judge him in comparison to those others. Judged by some ideal standard, everyone fails.