Then name one other issue for me that Lincoln consistently adhered to from the moment he entered politics circa 1832 to the day he died in 1865.
You cannot legitimately say slavery because, aside from his vaguely stated opposition to its expansion in the territories, Lincoln was all over the radar on that issue. He literally supported a constitutional amendment permanently banning slavery, a constitutional amendment permanently protecting slavery and everything in between.
Nor can you say any of the other issues he championed during his political career as they were almost all individual events, such as invading the south or defending Mexican dictator Santa Anna.
The simple fact is that there is ONE issue that Lincoln consistently believed in from the day he entered politics to the day he left it with Mr. Booth's assistance: higher taxes.
Then name one other issue for me that Lincoln consistently adhered to from the moment he entered politics circa 1832 to the day he died in 1865.
Obedience to the laws.
Lincoln did support a high protective tariff early in his career. He also supported internal improvements.
But he left politics for four years between 1850 and 1854:
"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."
-- not written by me; this originally appeared on AOL.
Walt