Posted on 07/26/2006 3:22:50 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - July 19, 2006 - A University of Illinois researcher had discovered a fourth copy of a rare letter Abraham Lincoln had written by to the nation's governors in 1861.
The letter John Lupton found Tuesday in the Lehigh County Historical Society's holdings was one Lincoln wrote as part of an unsuccessful ratification process for a constitutional amendment Congress adopted during the term of his predecessor, President James Buchanan, that would have made slavery the law of the land.
The president remembered for abolishing slavery had been willing to push the amendment as "kind of a carrot to the Southern states" if that would preserve the union, said Lupton, associate director of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln Project of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
"But even by that point, it was too late. By that time, the Southern states felt Lincoln's election was an affront," Lupton said. In fact, the letter discovered in Allentown was addressed to "His Excellency the Governor of the State of Florida," which had seceded from the union two months earlier.
Until Tuesday, only three of the letters were known to have survived. "It's a very cool document," Lupton said.
Joseph Garrera, the historical society director, said he will consult with the society's board to determine the best way to display the document and try to figure out exactly who donated the letter.
No, it doesn't. It proves that the southern democrats were willing to fight to keep what Lincoln was willing to give them LEGALLY.
Like the world's oldest profession, Man's oldest possession wasn't legal by any legal means in the United States Constitution, those references that hinted at it, were vague enough to pass the wink and a nod test for either side of the issue.
Lincoln would have changed that with an amendment legalizing slavery where it existed already. The South decided that it could maintain slavery by secession without having to go through the legal process of changing the Constitution and putting the issue of legalizing slavery to a national vote.
They decided to risk all their lives and fortunes on a war between the states rather then have an open debate on slavery.
The story mentions letters, not a single letter. It's likely that Lincoln wrote similar letters to all the southern governors, and this one is only one of them.
At the time hostilities had not broken out so it's doubtful that anyone was planning anything about two fronts.
What terms did Washington break?
Slavery was already legal. What this amendment would not have done, and which the South was not willing to accept, was ensure that slavery could expand to the territories. Without that protection the South wasn't interested.
It was tolerated, like bawdy houses and such things but it wasn't legal in that it was defined by law.
I've challenged any number of these confederbees to prove that slavery was legally defined by the US government, feel free to prove me wrong by showing a law that defines what a slave is how one becomes a slave, and what crimes a person would have to commit to be enslaved?
OK, let me rephrase it. It was not prevented by the Constitution.
I've challenged any number of these confederbees to prove that slavery was legally defined by the US government, feel free to prove me wrong by showing a law that defines what a slave is how one becomes a slave, and what crimes a person would have to commit to be enslaved?
The legality of slavery was upheld by any number of Supreme Court decisions, including the Taney court in every chance it got. The most famous example, of course was Scott v Sanford.
btw, are you trying to REPLACE "Mr SPIN" as the "class clown" & BUTT of jokes on FR???
lincoln, the TYRANT, was a stone RACIST & particularly an ANTI-Indian bigot.
he hated & feared ALL "persons of colour", Catholics, Jews,Asians, Latinos & "muddy-coloured people" (mixed-bloods, like ME for instance.)
free dixie,sw
lincoln was about the same sort as "wee willie klintoon". BOTH would do ANYTHING for more POWER & MONEY.
free dixie,sw
lol AT you.
free dixie,sw
free dixie,sw
I was only commenting on this one.
Ever heard of divide and conquer?
You don't have to be in the middle of hostilities to do that.
"Debunks the claim slavery was the root cause of the war."
You'll never convince the Lincoln Lovers of that.
bingo!
That would mean that Lincoln was actively planning for hositilites and held out no hope for a peaceful settlement. I haven't seen any evidence to support that.
Now, now.
I would argue that his insistance that the Union be preserved is very much evidence of that.
< raising eyebrows > Huh?
free dixie,sw
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.