"If, however, it be really true that Massachusetts wishes to afford a permanent home within her borders, for all, or even a large number of colored persons who will come to her, I shall be only too glad to know it. It would give relief in a very difficult point; and I would not for a moment hinder from going, any person who is free by the terms of the proclamation or any of the acts of Congress."
Walt
It is just as true that Bill Clinton said he did not have sex with that woman. Of course, in private he said something more like, "Yeah, baby; Yeah, baby; Oh Yeah, baby."
Lincoln's emigration aide, the Rev. James Mitchell, said the Proclamation "did not change Mr. Lincoln's policy of colonization, nor was it so intended." On August 18, 1863, seven months after the signing of the Proclamation and three months before the Gettysburg Address, Mitchell said he asked Lincoln if he "might say that colonization was still the policy of the Administration." Lincoln replied twice, he said, that "I have never thought so much on any subject and arrived at a conclusion so definite as I have in this case, and in after years found myself wrong." Lincoln added that "it would have been much better to separate the races than to have such scenes as those in New York [during the Draft Riots] the other day, where Negroes were hanged to lamp posts."Forced Into Glory, Lerone Bennett, Jr., p. 554
While it is true that there seem to be no statements -from- President Lincoln after 12/01/62 whatsoever supporting colonization, we see many where he expresses a desire for rqual and fair treatment of blacks, as from this letter of 2/14/64 to the governor of Massachusetts:
"If, however, it be really true that Massachusetts wishes to afford a permanent home within her borders, for all, or even a large number of colored persons who will come to her, I shall be only too glad to know it. It would give relief in a very difficult point; and I would not for a moment hinder from going, any person who is free by the terms of the proclamation or any of the acts of Congress."
Walt, you have already tried this cut and paste on me. It did not work before and it will not work now. Let's look at the WHOLE letter.
[Wlat 1786 been here] LINK
[nolu chan 1791 done this before] LINK
John A Andrew
Executive Mansion,
Washington, February 18. 1864.
Yours of the 12th was received yesterday. If I were to judge from the letter, without any external knowledge, I should suppose that all the colored people South of Washington were struggling to get to Massachusetts; that Massachusetts was anxious to receive and retain the whole of them as permament citizens; and that the United States Government here was interposing and preventing this. But I suppose these are neither really the facts, nor meant to be asserted as true by you. Coming down to what I suppose to be the real facts, you are engaged in trying to raise colored troops for the U. S. and wish to take recruits from Virginia, through Washington, to Massachusetts for that object; and the loyal Governor of Virginia, also trying to raise troops for us, objects to you taking his material away; while we, having to care for all, and being responsible alike to all, have to do as much for him, as we would have to do for you, if he was, by our authority, taking men from Massachusetts to fill up Virginia regiments. No more than this has been intended by me; nor, as I think, by the Secretary of War. There may have been some abuses of this, as a rule, which, if known, should be prevented in future. If, however, it be really true that Massachusetts wishes to afford a permanent home within her borders, for all, or even a large number of colored persons who will come to her, I shall be only too glad to know it. It would give relief in a very difficult point; and I would not for a moment hinder from going, any person who is free by the terms of the proclamation or any of the acts of Congress."
A. Lincoln
[Wlat] President Lincoln indicated that Massachusetts was a proper locality.
LINCOLN: The place I am thinking about having for a colony is in Central America.
Wlat, Massachusetts is not in Central America.
Lincoln Address on Colonization to a Deputation of Negroes
LINK
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 5. Address on Colonization to a Deputation of Negroes [1]
August 14, 1862