Agreed. All men are born free and equal. Any violation of their natural rights as men by a government or other men is an illegitemate act of tyranny. I don't have a big problem with Lincoln. I just think he was a tyrant. He did a lot of good though. I'd certainly rather have Bush for a tyrant than Clinton.
Problem was that this was not established in the Constitution. Blacks were not recognized as men, and this assumption was upheld by the Dred Scott SCOTUS decision. The 14th corrected and superceded Dred Scott.