In a civilized society, should anyone or any government ever force anyone to do anything against his or her will as long as that person does not infringe upon the life, liberty, or property of another?

Friday, November 23, 2007

Lincoln didn't care about slaves

During the Civil War, Lincoln clarified his position on the war and slavery. "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not to either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave 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 so that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause."

Interesting. What was that they taught us about "Father Abraham" in grade school?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Chris, can you provide the source of this quote? The more I read about the Civil War from an objective viewpoint, the more I realize that it was not about slavery. It was a war of Northern Aggression against the south. But 'Save the Slaves' is an excellent slogan to rally troops behind, isn't it?