Today in Blackness: Dispelling the Lincoln Myth On February - 10 - 2009 View Comments |
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A quote from the much-revered President Abraham Lincoln from a speech he delivered in 1858, three years before he became President and just seven years before his assassination:
“I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races—that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this, that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.”
One hundred and fifty years later America’s first black president, Barack Obama, was sworn into office with his hand on Lincoln’s Bible.
Read Henry Louis Gates’ whole article, “Was Lincoln A Racist?” here. Interesting stuff.
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Noel Says:
Finally, people are talking about the real deal.
Posted on February 10th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Spinster Says:
Yes. It boggled my mind that he cited Lincoln as his hero. Lincoln made it quite obvious how he REALLY felt about Blacks.
Posted on February 10th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
L. Says:
I agree with both of the comments above. It behooves me that in this day and age of information, we are still holding this man up to be some sort of hero for blacks. I’ve always known the truth about Lincoln, his attitudes, and what he really did during the Civil War. I read about it (in a good ol’ fashioned book waaay before this internets thing became the sh.t). Even my AP US History teacher taught us about it…. yes, my history teacher…. my white, Republican, voted Bush twice history teacher.
Posted on February 10th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
L. Says:
* Sorry, I meant: It is ill-behooving to me that in this day and age…
Posted on February 10th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Jennifer Says:
Could you talk about Che Guevara next, if you haven’t already? If I see one more black person in a Che shirt, I’m going to beat them with a copy of The Motorcycle Diaries.
Posted on March 1st, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Monday Link Up | BostonOffline.com Says:
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Posted on March 9th, 2009 at 5:31 am
Malcolm Turner Says:
thank you…not enough people know about this. The great historian Dr. John Henrik Clarke speaks more on the subject.
Posted on March 13th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
L Says:
Three days before he was shot, Lincoln stood on the second floor of the White House and made a speech to a crowd assembled outside celebrating the recent Union victory over the Confederacy. With his troops and Frederick Douglass very much in mind, Lincoln told the cheering crowd, which had demanded that he come to the window to address them, that he had decided to recommend that his 200,000 black troops and “the very intelligent Negroes” be given the right to vote.
While I don’t make excuses for his early thoughts on race, I do think it is important to recognize that Lincoln thoughts evolved on the matter. This was due in large part to the persuasiveness of Frederick Douglass. I think we should consider this before we brand Lincoln as a ‘racist’.
Posted on March 19th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Moon of AquaMoon Says:
Yes he was a racist. Not a question to debate. He didnt free us cuz he loved Black folks so much, this was an economic decision and a means to crippling the south to make way for a thriving industrial north. Slavery is an institution that bred racism in this country. And it depends on which of Lincoln’s inaug speeches you read as to what opinion you want to have of him.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Moon of AquaMoon Says:
@Jennifer
Just curious, what’s your opinion of Che?
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 10:47 am
The Racist Mr. Lincoln « Moveable Feast Says:
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Posted on March 27th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
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Posted on February 13th, 2010 at 6:08 am
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