Well, that statement is not well supported in the record.
Lincoln said that slavery was a "continual torment" to him personally--that it made him miserable, and he worked to irradicate it:
"I confess that I hate to see the poor creatures hunted down down, and caught, and carried back to their stripes and unwarranted toils; but I bite my lip and keep quiet. In 1841 you and I had together a tedious low-water trip, on a Steam Boat from Louisville to St. Louis. You may remember, as I well do, that from Louisville to the mouth of the Ohio there were, on board, ten or a dozen slaves, shackled together with irons. That sight was a continual torment to me; and I see something like it every time I touch the Ohio, or any other slave-border. It is hardly fair for you to assume, that I have no such interest in a thing which has, and continually exercises, the power of making me miserable. You ought rather to appreciate how much the great body of the Northern people do crucify their feelings, in order to maintain their loyalty to the Constitution and the Union."
8/24/54
From the AOL ACW area:
"Now consider several facts about Lincoln's political career:
1. While Lincoln was building political strength in local Illinois politics, he opposed the war with Mexico as inexpedient for several reasons, including that it was waged to increase the power of slave states in the institutions of Federal government.
2. During Lincoln's first term as U.S. congressman from Illinois in the late 1840's, he continued to criticize the Mexican war and worked out a bill (never introduced) calling for a referendum in the District of Columbia designed to free the slaves in that Federal enclave and compensate their owners.
3. His reentry into national politics in 1854 was clearly for the purpose of opposing the expansion of slavery into the territories under the provisions of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He had his heart and soul involved with the idea of gradual emancipation to bring the fullest meaning to the words of Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal.
4. From 1854 to his nomination for the presidency in 1860, as James McPherson noted in his DRAWN WITH THE SWORD, "the dominant, unifying theme of Lincoln's career was opposition to the expansion of slavery as a vital first step toward placing it in the course of ultimate extinction." In those years he gave approximately 175 political speeches. McPherson notes that the "central message of these speeches showed Lincoln to be a "one-issue" man - the issue being slavery." Thus, Lincoln's nomination to the presidency was based on a principled opposition to slavery on moral grounds, and that position was clear to voters both in the South and the North.
5. In his early speeches and actions as president-elect and president, he was clear in his opinion that he had no legal authority to interfere with slavery in the slave states. However, he was persistent and consistent in his efforts to encourage and aid voluntary emancipation in the loyal Border States, territories and the District of Columbia. These efforts predated his publication of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
In summary, I think one can safely say that Lincoln was clearly a gradual abolitionist from the beginning of his political career."
Lincoln hated slavery. He was willing to -tolerate- slavery where it existed, because he was a pragmatic man. With that prgmatism, he knew that if slavery were contained to the areas where it already existed, it would die. The slave holders knew that too. That is why they rebelled against the lawful government --simple because Lincoln was elected.
Walt
Well, that statement is not well supported in the record. - Whiskey Papa
The hell it isn't! Lincoln only expressed this willingness and enthusiastically endorsed the permanent protection of slavery in places where it existed in his inaugural address. If an inaugural address is not record enough to support the assertion, nothing is in your mind. That is because your mind is already made up on this matter. In the meantime, I refer you to post 148 which I will repost part of for your convenience:
"I understand a proposed amendment to the Constitution—which amendment, however, I have not seen—has passed Congress, to the effect that the Federal Government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States, including that of persons held to service. To avoid misconstruction of what I have said, I depart from my purpose not to speak of particular amendments so far as to say that, holding such a provision to now be implied constitutional law, I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable." - Abraham Lincoln speaking a the Inauguration of the 16th President of the United States, March 4, 1861
And no, that was not political expedience talking. That was Abraham Lincoln talking. And no, he did not expect slavery to "die out" as the amendment he endorse specifically perpetuated slavery as an indefinite and unrepealable institution. In Lincoln's own words, he had "no objection" to amending the constitution of the united states to specifically prohibit the government from ever interfering with the "domestic institution" of "persons held to service" (READ: SLAVERY) and making such an amendment "express and irrevocable."