I recommend you read them."
To be clear about this, on an abolitionist scale of 0 to 10, where, let's say Alexander Stephens' Cornerstone Speech is a zero and, oh, say, John Brown is a... 12, then Lincoln comes in at 7 or 8, RINO Senator Seward at 5, Lee and Founders like Jefferson at 3 and the entire Confederate hierarchy at one:
Abolitionist scale from 1 least to 10 most:
- Most of Confederate leadership and Democrats pushing the so-called Corwin Amendment.
- Jefferson Davis, but only at the very end, in 1865.
- RE Lee reflecting traditional Southern Founders' desires for gradual abolition.
- Noteworthy Confederate generals like Patrick Cleburne who early-on advocated enlisting slaves with the promise of freedom.
- RINO/DINOs like Seward and Douglas who went along with restrictions on slavery, but not if they upset Southern Democrats too much.
- "Moderate" Republicans like Lincoln and Grant who wanted restrictions on slavery even if they upset Southern Democrats too much.
- Noteworthy abolitionists like 1856 Republican Presidential candidate John C. Fremont.
- Black leaders like Frederick Douglas.
- Violent revolutionaries like Nat Turner and John Brown.