H.L. Mencken on Abraham Lincoln

"Five Men at Random," Prejudices: Third Series, 1922, pp. 171-76. | H.L. Mencken

[WhiskeyPapa]

An Abolitionist would have published the Emancipation Proclamation the day after the first battle of Bull Run.

And resistance to the rebellion would have collapsed the same day.

Even after three years of war Lincoln said that giving up the support of the blacks would cause the loss of the war within three weeks.

Part of Lincoln's genius was in knowing what the country would accept, and another part was helping to guide it where it needed to go.

Walt

[aruanan]

and so leave him a mere moral apparition, a sort of amalgam of John Wesley and the Holy Ghost.

Sounds as though he didn't know much about John Wesley who went into more situations of personal peril than Lincoln ever did (and saved England from a civil war rather than causing one), though both of them did have demented wives. It is said that some men waylaid Wesley one night and said, "We be the devil's brothers" to which Wesley was to have replied, "Well, then, you know me. I'm married to his sister."

[TheDon]

The Union soldiers in that battle actually fought against self-determination; it was the Confederates who fought for the right of their people to govern themselves.

I find this argument laughable coming from the slave holding states.

Hi Walt, looks like these idiots haven't given up yet!

[Treebeard]

I've heard of H L Mencken, but not of you two. Run those credentials again, for those of us who missed them.

[TheDon]

My favorite quote from another thread:

It's time for another exciting episode of "The Tyrant Lincoln, Who Cut Down My Great-Great Grandma's Magnolias."

[TheDon]

I see, so you don't agree that the South held slaves. I guess you just discredited yourself.

[Grut]

I find this argument laughable coming from the slave holding states.

The southern states were right about self-determination and wrong about Blacks. Americans are now up to speed on the idea that Blacks are people, and as a result we can say that they too have lost on self-determination as a result of Union actions.

[Treebeard]

Yeah, you can infer that from my post. With logical abilities like that, I bet you're a history professor.

[OBAFGKM]

"I find this argument laughable coming from the slave holding states."

You mean Maryland, West Virginia, New Jersey, Kentu... Oops, those were Union states. Sorry.

OK, I guess I'm not sure what you find laughable?

[TheDon]

Your debating skills could you some help. By constantly attacking your opponent, rather than addressing the topic, you give the impression that you cannot address the topic to your favor. Are you a liberal? You can usually tell a liberal because not being able to engage in debate, they simply resort to attacking their opponent.

[aculeus]

Dump.

[TheDon]

I find this argument laughable coming from the slave holding states.

If you need a dictionary with some of the words, try www.dictionary.com.

[groanup]

http://www.dixienet.org/dn-gazette/professors-sc.htm

[OBAFGKM]

"If you need a dictionary with some of the words, try www.dictionary.com."

Your debating skills could use some help. By constantly attacking your opponent, rather than addressing the topic, you give the impression that you cannot address the topic to your favor. Are you a liberal? You can usually tell a liberal because not being able to engage in debate, they simply resort to attacking their opponent.

[Fish out of Water]

fyi

[Ditto]

The Union soldiers in that battle actually fought against self-determination; it was the Confederates who fought for the right of their people to govern themselves.

Well, actually only about 66% of the people in the south had the right to govern themselves but Mencken, being a professional curmudgeon, never allowed facts to slow him down when he was on a good rant.

[TheDon]

Nice to know that no one can support the views of DiLorenzo, the Michael Bellesiles of Lincoln studies.

[TheDon]

Nice try. It would score some points, except I was commenting on someone else's inability to respond to my point. I see you have nothing of value to contribute either.

[El Sordo]

Don't forget that the Union had slave holding states too. Slaves states on the Union side were exempt from the Emancipation Proclamation.

Slavery was a minor issue in the Civil War.