“I am a little uneasy about the abolishment of slavery in this District [of Columbia]...” -— Abraham Lincoln, 3/24/1862 letter to Horace Greely, New York Tribune editor
“I will say, then, that I am not, nor have ever been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races ... I am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.” -— Abraham Lincoln
“I have heard, in such a way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the Army and the Government needed a Dictator. Of course it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the command. Only those generals who gain successes can set up dictators. What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship.” -— Abraham Lincoln, upon his replacement of General Burnside with General Hooker for command of the Army of the Potomac
And? Are you condemning Lincoln because he was a racist? If so, you must really be down on greater racists like Jefferson Davis or Robert Lee. Oh wait. I forget. Southern hypocrisy won’t allow you to judge others by the same standards as you judge Lincoln. You people are soooooo predictable.
Let's look at the quote in full, shall we? What Lincoln said was:
"If I were to suggest anything it would be that as the North are already for the measure, we should urge it persuasively, and not menacingly, upon the South. I am a little uneasy about the abolishment of slavery in this District, not but I would be glad to see it abolished, but as to the time and manner of doing it. If some one or more of the border-states would move fast, I should greatly prefer it; but if this can not be in a reasonable time, I would like the bill to have the three main features---gradual---compensation---and vote of the people---I do not talk to members of congress on the subject, except when they ask me."
And a few days later when the DC Emancipation Act was passed it had two of the three - compensated and the vote of the people as expressed through their representatives in Congress.
“I will say, then, that I am not, nor have ever been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races ... I am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.” -— Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln also said, "...but I hold that, notwithstanding all this, there is no reason in the world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence-the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I hold that he is as much entitled to these as the white man. I agree with Judge Douglas he is not my equal in many respects-certainly not in color, perhaps not in moral or intellectual endowment. But in the right to eat the bread, without the leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of every living man."
In doing so he set himself in complete opposition to men like Davis and Lee and the Southern Chief Justice who all believed that the black man had no rights and deserved none. So on the one hand you have Lincoln supporting white supremacy, same as every Southern leader you care to name and virtually every Northern leader as well. On the other hand you have Lincoln supporting equality of the races in terms of rights guaranteed under the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, unlike any Southern leader prior to or during the rebellion. So you tell me, MJ, which is worse? The racist who believes in rights for the black man? Or the racist who doesn't?
“I have heard, in such a way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the Army and the Government needed a Dictator. Of course it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the command. Only those generals who gain successes can set up dictators. What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship.” -— Abraham Lincoln, upon his replacement of General Burnside with General Hooker for command of the Army of the Potomac
And just what the hell is the purpose behind this quote?