APPLES & ORANGES
Recently I was watching a Youtube historian comparing Lincoln and Obama to illustrate the point that the South felt that their right to own slaves was threatened by Lincoln in much the same way as gun owners felt threatened by Obama. In other words that the slave owners had no valid reason to fear Lincoln and the gun owners had no valid reason to fear Obama. To me this argument is comparing apples to oranges. Like many historians he was guilty of using Lincoln's famous quote in August of 1862 to prove his argument. Lincoln stated: "If I could save the union without freeing any slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that." The historian is right in his point that Lincoln was no threat to slavery when he was elected president in 1860. Lincoln was a political genius but he was also a great pragmatist and a great lawyer. He knew that he had no constitutional right to end slavery where it already existed. If the Civil War had not occurred he would have more than likely finished out his term with the institution of slavery intact. Like most Republicans, however; he viewed slavery as a moral evil and he was against the expansion of slavery into the new western territories acquired by the treaty ending the War with Mexico. There were firm constitutional arguments supporting Lincoln's position on this.
Lincoln was also a man that was not afraid to seize on an opportunity when it presented itself. The Civil War afforded that opportunity. By August of 1862, when Lincoln made his aforementioned quote, he had already decided to make a dent in slavery by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. He took Secretary of State Seward's advice not to issue it until the North had won a victory so it would not appear to be an act of desperation. Lincoln announced the proclamation after the Union victory at Antietam. The proclamation was an executive order and war measure designed to rob the South of it's labor force in time of war. This act had broad implications and greatly affected the outcome of the war. The proclamation drove the final nail in the coffin of any hope the South had for an alliance with Britain or France. It provided the North with Black recruits at a crucial time when White enlistments were falling off due to attrition. Desertion was becoming a problem in the Southern army due to soldiers going back home to work farms abandoned by slaves. Lincoln knew that the proclamation was a temporary fix and like any executive order it could be overturned by a successor once the emergency had passed. He knew that the slaves that had been freed could be returned to slavery. Knowing that the South was on the verge of collapse Lincoln saw his opportunity in 1865 to end slavery once and for all by pushing through the 13th Amendment.
There is no doubt that Lincoln had been an abolitionist at heart all along. One of the reasons that Lincoln's father left Kentucky for Indiana was because Kentucky was a slave state and he hated slavery. Lincoln and his father were not close but the one thing he took from him was a hatred of slavery. Lincoln was smart enough to understand his limitations. He was much too complicated of a man to use a quote to place him in a convenient box to bolster a particular argument. The greatness of Lincoln was his ability to adapt to changing situations. There is a scene in the movie Lincoln by Stephen Spielberg that nails the essence of Lincoln. He and Thaddeus Stephens are having a private conversation in the White House cellar about the proposed 13th Amendment. Lincoln is trying to secure Stephens support. Stephens was a unapologetic abolitionist who had been one of Lincoln's severest critics over the years. He was opposed to gradualism in freeing the slaves.. Stephens was in a longtime common law relationship with his Black housekeeper. In the scene Lincoln is asking Stephens not to scare the conservative Republicans with his radical approach to ending slavery. Their vote is needed to pass the 13th Amendment.
Stephens was pushing for confiscating all property and wealth from Southern slave owners who supported the Southern war effort and giving it to the Freedman. He also wanted a harsh reconstruction policy that would severely punish the South and it's leaders. This was very radical for that time and even most Northerners were not in favor of this kind of policy. Stephens mentions using a moral compass and Lincoln takes this opportunity to destroy Stephen's argument. Lincoln said that as a surveyor in his youth he used a compass. The compass can point north but what good is it to know true north if you do not take into account the swamps, deserts, and chasms in between that you will have to cross? In summation, if the war had never happened it is correct to say that Lincoln was no threat to the institution of slavery. As Grant once said the South insured the abolition of slavery by firing on fort Sumter which makes them the greatest abolitionists of all. The civil War was an actual crisis that Lincoln had to deal with.
Obama on the other hand used tragic situations to call for gun control. Compared to the mass killings of Blacks at the hands of other Blacks in our large cities on a continual basis these were isolated events. Does anyone believe for a moment that Obama and the Democrats would not confiscate our guns if the opportunity presented itself? It is not about curbing violence but about power. If we own guns they do not have total power over us.The Democrats ultimate goal is to confiscate all guns and their comments prove it. In this past congressional election some Democrats ran on abolishing the 2nd Amendment. Prior to Lincoln's election he never once stated that his real intent was to abolish slavery. Although slavery was a right protected by the constitution it was not an inalienable right. Man does not have a God given right to own another man as property. Nor do they have the right to confiscate the fruits of their labor. Man does, however; have a God given right to own property. He also has a God given right to defend himself and abolish a tyrannical government if the need arises. This is the basis of the 2nd Amendment. Everything in the Bill of Rights reflects American's inalienable rights. Comparing Lincoln to Obama is like comparing apples and oranges.
Lincoln was also a man that was not afraid to seize on an opportunity when it presented itself. The Civil War afforded that opportunity. By August of 1862, when Lincoln made his aforementioned quote, he had already decided to make a dent in slavery by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. He took Secretary of State Seward's advice not to issue it until the North had won a victory so it would not appear to be an act of desperation. Lincoln announced the proclamation after the Union victory at Antietam. The proclamation was an executive order and war measure designed to rob the South of it's labor force in time of war. This act had broad implications and greatly affected the outcome of the war. The proclamation drove the final nail in the coffin of any hope the South had for an alliance with Britain or France. It provided the North with Black recruits at a crucial time when White enlistments were falling off due to attrition. Desertion was becoming a problem in the Southern army due to soldiers going back home to work farms abandoned by slaves. Lincoln knew that the proclamation was a temporary fix and like any executive order it could be overturned by a successor once the emergency had passed. He knew that the slaves that had been freed could be returned to slavery. Knowing that the South was on the verge of collapse Lincoln saw his opportunity in 1865 to end slavery once and for all by pushing through the 13th Amendment.
There is no doubt that Lincoln had been an abolitionist at heart all along. One of the reasons that Lincoln's father left Kentucky for Indiana was because Kentucky was a slave state and he hated slavery. Lincoln and his father were not close but the one thing he took from him was a hatred of slavery. Lincoln was smart enough to understand his limitations. He was much too complicated of a man to use a quote to place him in a convenient box to bolster a particular argument. The greatness of Lincoln was his ability to adapt to changing situations. There is a scene in the movie Lincoln by Stephen Spielberg that nails the essence of Lincoln. He and Thaddeus Stephens are having a private conversation in the White House cellar about the proposed 13th Amendment. Lincoln is trying to secure Stephens support. Stephens was a unapologetic abolitionist who had been one of Lincoln's severest critics over the years. He was opposed to gradualism in freeing the slaves.. Stephens was in a longtime common law relationship with his Black housekeeper. In the scene Lincoln is asking Stephens not to scare the conservative Republicans with his radical approach to ending slavery. Their vote is needed to pass the 13th Amendment.
Stephens was pushing for confiscating all property and wealth from Southern slave owners who supported the Southern war effort and giving it to the Freedman. He also wanted a harsh reconstruction policy that would severely punish the South and it's leaders. This was very radical for that time and even most Northerners were not in favor of this kind of policy. Stephens mentions using a moral compass and Lincoln takes this opportunity to destroy Stephen's argument. Lincoln said that as a surveyor in his youth he used a compass. The compass can point north but what good is it to know true north if you do not take into account the swamps, deserts, and chasms in between that you will have to cross? In summation, if the war had never happened it is correct to say that Lincoln was no threat to the institution of slavery. As Grant once said the South insured the abolition of slavery by firing on fort Sumter which makes them the greatest abolitionists of all. The civil War was an actual crisis that Lincoln had to deal with.
Obama on the other hand used tragic situations to call for gun control. Compared to the mass killings of Blacks at the hands of other Blacks in our large cities on a continual basis these were isolated events. Does anyone believe for a moment that Obama and the Democrats would not confiscate our guns if the opportunity presented itself? It is not about curbing violence but about power. If we own guns they do not have total power over us.The Democrats ultimate goal is to confiscate all guns and their comments prove it. In this past congressional election some Democrats ran on abolishing the 2nd Amendment. Prior to Lincoln's election he never once stated that his real intent was to abolish slavery. Although slavery was a right protected by the constitution it was not an inalienable right. Man does not have a God given right to own another man as property. Nor do they have the right to confiscate the fruits of their labor. Man does, however; have a God given right to own property. He also has a God given right to defend himself and abolish a tyrannical government if the need arises. This is the basis of the 2nd Amendment. Everything in the Bill of Rights reflects American's inalienable rights. Comparing Lincoln to Obama is like comparing apples and oranges.
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