Honest Abe to go on trial - for racism (Community College "education")

Aurora [Colorado] Sentinel ^ | 2/8/07 | Staff

[ChildOfThe60s]

Honest Abe to go on trial - for racism

Daily Sun reports

Thursday, February 08, 2007

AURORA | The Community College of Aurora's professors will stage a mock trail that puts Abraham Lincoln on trial for racism at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at the college's Fine Arts building at 16000 E. CentreTech Parkway.

The trial is free and open to the public. Based on his speeches and written documents, teams for the prosecution and the defense assembled from the Community College of Aurora's criminal justice program and will try Lincoln to determine whether he was a racist and how his beliefs and attitudes influenced the course of the Civil War, Reconstruction and post-war society.

Call 303-739-6600 or visit www.auroralibrary.org.

[flixxx]

I agree...part of education is challenging you opinions and seeking truth. I think many students look at Lincoln from only one perspective and this exercise could be very enlightening. Lincoln is one of my favourite Presidents, but his motivations for freeing the Slaves are appropriate for discussion...an 'academic' exercise but isn't that one reason one attends school?

When I was a freshman in college, I went to an Amnesty International rally/meeting...learned a lot, thought about my values and beliefs and chose to never ever return.

[billbears]

Exactly -- a byproduct of liberalism and a totally sloppy attempt to rewrite history.

And exactly how is it rewriting history? I just hope they tape it. I want a copy. Sounds like cracks are starting to show at the church of abe....

[stainlessbanner]

But he was always against slavery.

Except when Lincoln wrote, "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it" in his 1862 letter to Horace Greeley.

[ChildOfThe60s]

akin to liberals screaming that they have superior skills and talents because they went to Harvard or Yale. But, hey, at least they are private colleges!

You got me on that one.

Let me rephrase, if I may. I also went to public school and like to believe I can think for myself.
The school she went to is small & highly regarded. I should have said "better than most schools - private or public". Harvard / Yale pretty much shoots down the private/public generalization.

As far as the "thinking for herself" portion, what I was saying was that because she can think for herself, she was equipped to handle the inevitable liberal propaganda which seems to occur at nearly all colleges to some degree. Anyway, our goal was to teach her to think for herself & not rely on any school to do that. And I believe we were successful. When she and I disagree, if I hope to prevail, I have to really earn it.

[BuffaloJack]

Lincoln may have been a Republican, but he was also a Liberal and only rarely sided with anything that he didn't take a poll on.

[beagle9]

Lincoln was a considered a mainstream Republican not a member of the "radical" element of his party. His views were spot-center of the typical northern American citizen. We have to think in context of times. The choices that he made were, on balance, were the correct ones for this country and all its people (Black, White, Southern, and Northern). You would be hard pressed to find any historian (reputable) who thinks he was not a great (not perfect) president. The biggest problem ordinary people of today have is an inability to think in historical context. The political realities of any time dictate what can and cannot be done (and said). The South was especially hurt by his assassination. This allowed radical Republicans to dictate a harsh and brutal occupation which led to the inevitable backlash and the formation of black codes. Any attempt to now position Lincoln in the racial debate of today is counterproductive and smacks of an agenda (liberal) to discredit a great man. The obvious answer is that they wish to destroy truths about American History to begin to fabricate their own. The subliminal liberal agenda is one of "How can America be a great country with racists such as Lincoln as one of their (our) so-called great presidents". Think about it and defend American heroes such Washington and Lincoln. They were the type of men that carried this country through extremely difficult times at great personal cost. Do not let them or other men of their ilk (Robert E. Lee) comes to mind, ever be slandered.

[ChildOfThe60s]

It sounds like an interesting intellectual excercise to me.

I think it could be, IF handled properly. Which I'll bet it isn't. What I see lacking in all of this sort of "bashing" is any attempt whatsoever to place these things in the context of the times. One learns little from, or about, history if one studies it through the lens of our times only. And that's how I see these sorts of exercises taking place. That's what makes it bashing.

I could be proven wrong, but I suspect that the outcome of this exercise is pre-ordained.

[freedomfiter2]

The public school bashing on FR is really lame and old,


Public school get bashed here because like all socialist programs it costs too much and because it has been taken over by proselytizers of marxism and sodomy.

[VeniVidiVici]

Yeah, Lincoln was so racist that the damned slaves were freed anyway. Lilly white Andrew Johnson saw to that.

Doesn't matter what the communitiy college does. Abe's defense atty will bring up the fact that Lincoln was gay, the crowd will gasp and a bright star will appear over and hush the crowd.

He'll then be coronated.

[HoosierHawk]

The public school bashing on FR is really lame and old...

I couldn't agree with you more.

[stainlessbanner]

Lincoln's actions:

1. Illegal appropriation of funds to build weapons (no Congressional consent)
2. Illegal blocking of Southern ports (considered an act of war, no Congressional consent obtained)
3. Suspension of habeas corpus (again, without Congressional consent)
4. Demanding state governors conscript 75,000 soldiers (no Congressional consent)
5. Usurpation of power
6. Deportation/Colonization plan for slaves in Liberia/Panama/Haiti
7. Shutting down of newspapers and other outlets
8. Refusal to trade Union POWs with Confederate POWs

Lincoln's results:

1. Creation of unprecendented centralized national government
2. Essentially dissolved state sovereignty
3. Creation of centralization national bank system
4. Reconstruction resulted in one of the greatest failures in American history
5. 9% Union and 12% Confederate POWs died in prison camps because Lincoln refused to exchange prisoners
6. Imprisonment of over 14,000 civilians by military police for "alleged" crimes that never existed.
7. Shutdown of nearly 300 newspaper and media outlets that voiced concern over the administration's policies.
8. 620,000 American Dead. More than all other American military conflicts combined.
9. Nearly 500,000 American Wounded.
10. Billions of dollars in war costs, reconstruction, and veteran benefits.
11. Destruction of thousands upon thousands of livestock and agricultural land, primarily in the South.

[HoosierHawk]

Public school get bashed here because like all socialist programs it costs too much and because it has been taken over by proselytizers of marxism and sodomy.

Oh, ease up!

My daughter is now eighteen and attends public schools. She's never come home complaining. As a matter of fact, the Board of Ed has stipulated, and my daughter has confirmed, that abstinence is the sexual education policy.

And the only "share the wealth" policy my daughter adores is from father to daughter.

This thread is about Lincoln and what a doggone racist he was. If it's possible for you, please stick to the facts.

[freedomfiter2]

Congradulations, you have a much better than average public school. I didn't bring up the public school issue. It does relate though, in that the schools generally teach a very inaccurate version of history.

[HoosierHawk]

I agree that school history has to be tempered with parental input. I've done that. LOL.

But my baby's going to college next year and I won't always be available for guidance.

Available for money, yeah, I'm sure.

Guidance, I'm not so sure.

[freedomfiter2]

Available for money, yeah, I'm sure.

Guidance, I'm not so sure.


Good luck with those. It sounds like you probably did your homework.

[sgtyork]

Lincoln may have been a Republican, but he was also a Liberal and only rarely sided with anything that he didn't take a poll on.

Were these telephone polls or done on the internet?

[pepsionice]

While article was tight and with limited reasoning...it would be an interesting debate if you brought in the southern cause and explained how Lincoln got into the White House in the first place (the Bush method of electoral college voting is nothing compared to the Lincoln method of collecting electoral college votes). We were so close to having President Stephen A. Douglas as the president...had the democratic convention been held in a neutral point of the country...instead of Charleston.

I'd agree to let this debate move forward...and share more facts with the public. So much of 1860 is lost amongst us today and never discussed in public medium.

[dr_lew]

Will the Emancipation Proclamation be offered as evidence for his defense?

According to the History Channel, in a reenacted scene, he visited freed slaves, and bowed to them in greeting, and it shocked many that the President of the United States could bow to a black man.

[TBP]

"If I can save the Union without freeign aq single slave, I will do it."

And Abe was a "Back to Africa" guy for at least part of his career.