President Lincoln in His Own Words - Book Report/Review Example

President Lincoln in his own words 1. The Kansas-Nebraska Act As is revealed in his public speech, Lincoln objected to the Kansas-Nebraska Act because it reintroduced the practice of slavery into the more northern territories where it had been eradicated. More than that, it introduced slavery in terms of a right of white men rather than as the necessity it was deemed to be as a condition for the southern states that were already operating on a slave system at the time the country was born. It did this by repealing the Missouri Compromise. In his more private communication, he admits that he is simply against slavery and, while he is committed to upholding the rights of the southerner to own slaves, he does not see where the state of Kansas had a legal right to vote on the question of slavery. While his public appeals remain firmly rooted in reasonable and relatively settled law, his private appeal is angry, accusing his friend of offering violence for behavior against him while insisting this same behavior, used in support of his position be accepted without question. In other words, he is pointing out the many ways Speed and his friends are hypocrites of convenience. The arguments he uses in both cases include an acknowledgement of the real rights of other citizens who do not see the world as he does. He admits that he has no ready answers for the slavery question and he insists that he is not trying to introduce any change that would cause the institution or its enforcement to stop in those areas where it is already practiced as a matter of necessity to the economy of the region. However, his arguments against allowing Kansas to become a slave state are very different. In both cases, though, he clearly states that he is not trying to abolish slavery everywhere, he’s just against allowing it to spread anywhere it isn’t already practiced. In his public communications, Lincoln’s language and reasoning are characterized by concise reference to precedent, such as when he provides a succinct timeline of lawmakers attempting to limit and narrowly define slavery. He uses careful reasoning to point out how there is a difference between permitting slavery to continue in an area whose economy is already founded upon slave labor as opposed to slavery as a right of white men attempting to populate a new region. This is compared to his more private appeals, which are characterized by stronger sentiments and more direct reference. For example, in his letter, he reminds Joshua Speed about the slaves they traveled with one time on the Ohio River and reflects on how this made him feel. He attempts to shame his friend for not considering the extent to which those opposed to slavery “crucify their feelings, in order to maintain their loyalty to the constitution and the Union.” 2. Four years later Four years later, in 1858, Lincoln’s position seems to have shifted somewhat. It seems that he no longer believes that the nation can exist in the kind of live and let live status it had been in. In his speech “A House Divided,” he illustrates why he thinks either slavery must be extended to all states or halted in all states eventually. As in his earlier public appeal, Lincoln points to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise as a step toward a nation of slavery against the wishes of the majority of the states and the interpretation of federal intent. In making this argument, he is able to carry it further than previously because of the events of the intervening years. One of the areas that is carried further is the effects that the Supreme Court decision in the Dred Scott case have brought forward for slave supporters. The first point is that no Negro brought from Africa or descended from a Negro brought from Africa can be a citizen which meant that they couldn’t claim any of the human rights guaranteed in the constitution. The second point that was made was that Congress could not exclude slavery from a territory. The third point is that it was then possible for the courts of the region to determine slave cases even in free states. All of this together created a situation in which the pervading opinion of the confused masses was to not care one way or another how the issue of slavery was settled. Just as in his earlier arguments, Lincoln insists that he is arguing simply to prevent the spread of slavery to new territories and to keep it from being imposed upon free states. However, in this later argument, he makes the concession that the country will eventually have to be all slaves or no slaves – the current division cannot be maintained into the future. More than just stopping the spread of slavery, he hopes that slavery will eventually be eased out of the laws altogether. 3. Lincoln’s position on slavery From these four documents, it seems clear that Lincoln was not a supporter of slavery. He felt it was wrong to keep other men hostage and consider them property. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that he considered black men as human or as capable as white men. Even in his writings in 1858, he includes hints that he does not think it would be wise or even possible for black men to be treated with equality. He doesn’t consider it wrong that they are excluded from the rights provided to citizens by the constitution, but neither does he think it advisable that the slavery question in the territories be a non-issue because of the possibility for this decision to be made in the Supreme Court for free states, permitting slavery within their borders regardless of how the citizens felt about it. 4. Early wartime attitudes regarding slavery Early in the war, Lincoln can be seen to be taking a cautious approach to the question of slavery. For example, while Major General Fremont seems ready and willing to free every black man he comes across with only the slightest provocation, Lincoln urges him to use restraint and only free those black men who have been employed by their masters in active measures against the forces of the United States. While he wished the slaves to be free, Lincoln advocated a more gentle withdrawal and emancipation in which southern owners would receive some form of compensation and human ‘property’ would not be seized out of the hands of the owner without direct provocation and according to constitutional law. He proposes that the federal government offer assistance to slave states working on a program of gradual emancipation as a means of keeping the union strong while working in cooperation with states to create national unity. Such an offer, he suggests, would encourage more northern states at a loss as to how to preserve their economy while also abolishing slavery, would be more likely to side with the union and thus perhaps bring the war to a quick close. He argues that purchasing the slaves would not be more expensive than funding a war, it would provide the slave owners with time to figure out new means of carrying out business and it would give the slaves time to learn how to support themselves. In responding to criticisms of this plan, Lincoln provides real numbers as responses. He points out how funding half a day of war would pay to free all of the slaves of Delaware without the owners being out any real possessions. These types of arguments were still in support of gradual emancipation and national unity. 5. Lincoln’s response to criticism In his letter responding to criticism offered by Carl Schurz, Lincoln refuses to take blame for anything that was not within his power to correct while also pointing out how he and Mr. Schurz have a similar approach to the problems facing the nation. He agrees that he should be blamed if he is not doing his best, but points out that he is doing his best to only put those people in place who ‘have their heart in it’ to get the job done as efficiently and peacefully as possible. Although he recognized that some of his generals were not as effective as he’d like, Lincoln pointed out the difficulty of finding suitable replacements, indicating he is still not satisfied with what had been achieved so far. In responding to criticism, Lincoln’s approach seems to be consistently first to identify the accusations being made and then to respond to each objection point by point. This approach can also be seen in his letter to Erastus Corning and others. He begins his letter by summing up his understanding of their grievances as being first the need to win the war and second the need to win the war along constitutional grounds, which the letter writers suggest was not being done in the area of military arrests. He points out areas of common ground and then begins to illustrate where he differs from their opinions and why. Addressing their concerns regarding the constitutionality of wartime procedures, Lincoln defends these same actions by pointing out the need, during wartime itself, to suspend some of the rights guaranteed in the constitution in order to more fully provide for the health and well-being of the greater population. This was necessary as a means of meeting the immediate threat and he had little option but to respond as the war had already started even before he had a chance to take office. 6. The Emancipator The Emancipation Proclamation was intended to seal the nation together by providing for the federal government to assist states wishing to adopt immediate or gradual emancipation policies for the existing slave states. States not wishing to participate in this action and still fighting against the union would then lose all claim to their slaves beginning January 1, 1863 as they were set free by the federal government. It enforced that slaves discovered who had escaped from their masters would not be returned by law and would be considered free from that moment forward. It also provided that the newly freed slaves could, if they wished, enlist in the armed services to fight for the union armies toward resolution of the civil war. Again, he defends his actions by pointing out those areas where he is in agreement with those criticizing him before moving on to explain why his approach may be different from their perceived best course of action. He brings his argument from the general where people largely agree down to his own conclusions, at least illustrating for them how his approach was carefully considered. He argues how freeing the slaves is removing an important piece of property from the southern states. The advantage of this was that at the same time that the Emancipation Proclamation removed an important tool of the enemy, it also provided the north with a number of new soldiers eager to help family and friends still caught in the south. 7. Gettysburg Address In this speech, Lincoln is dedicating ground that is either being used or is about to be used as a war cemetery to bury union soldiers who fell in the battle of Gettysburg which had recently occurred. The land in question is a small piece of the battlefield. However, what he is saying is that these men have fought for freedom and the liberties afforded in the constitution that formed the United States. It was a new experiment in government and Lincoln is saying it should be defended and advanced as these men did. At the same time, he is saying that the sacrifice they made went much deeper than any dedication he could ever bestow. I think the most important thing about what he is saying is that the constitution needs to be applied to all people living in this nation and that the government that was established “four-score and seven years ago” is something good that should be preserved and expanded. One of the lines in this speech that really jumped out at me was the line, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” This suggests that Lincoln knew his words would be remembered into the future and he wanted future generations to understand that what they were fighting for was not just the freedom of the slaves, but also the enforcement of the rules of the constitution as it was applied to all people. The great battle had been waged but the fighting needed to be continued well into the future by the continued dedication and attention of “we the living” as we remember the reasons these men died and continue to dedicate our efforts to the worthy values they died to defend. 8. Second Inaugural Address As the parent of a soldier still out somewhere in the fields of the south battling enemies that blend into the grass of the plains, I had rather hoped to hear more news of the war than the President provided. But I have to admit he is probably right that we are all about as informed as he is of recent events. I have hope that perhaps the south is collapsing with the absence of its workforce and then maybe my son will be home again soon. It is very easy for me to hate them. After all, they have kept my boy far from home three years now and two years ago they killed my nephew at Gettysburg. All to defend that infernal practice they call slavery. Even the President mentioned how ridiculous it was for them to pray to God to help them continue wringing their bread from other men’s sweat, or something like that. However, the President also said some things that made me think. He pointed out how we in the north have also benefited from this free labor. When I think about it, he’s completely right that many of our achievements and our strong economic position were achieved because of the wealth coming out of the farms and plantations of the south. We do owe them quite a lot in that respect and must therefore share a part in the load of guilt they carry for continuing the practice of slavery. I want to hate them but if I do, I will not be able to conceive of one nation as the President suggests. If I keep on hating them and blaming them, we will not be able to move forward into the future and make the nation strong again. The President is also right that we will need to take part in rebuilding the south in order to keep them from dragging us backward in the economic disaster that must await. They have lost their slaves that used to man the plantations in good times and they have lost their slaves that they will need to replant and rebuild. 9. Reconstruction Lincoln’s plan of reconstruction began with a full pardon given to all soldiers who fought for the rebel army and a return of all their property with the exception of the slaves. This included the reconstruction of the state governments in accordance with constitutional law as a means of quickly getting the country back on its feet. This approach had the advantage of both returning control of the territory to its former owners as long as they were newly re-pledged to the union and the laws of the constitution as well as recognizing that now that the fight is over, there was no more need for neighbors and countrymen to be enemies. This was a message intended for both north and south. While he suggests that provisions be made for the Freedmen regarding housing, employment and education, he does not make this mandatory in his earlier address. This suggestion is alluded to but not really brought into focus in his last address. Most of this speech seems devoted to defending and clarifying his role in the formation of the new Louisiana government. He mentions that his suggestion that negroes be offered apprenticeships as a means of learning how best to support themselves and contribute to the state economy was rejected. However, he celebrates that his suggestion that black children be educated had been accepted as the new state government made provision for schools for these children. While this arrangement is not all that he might desire, Lincoln suggests that it is moving in the right direction and is all the more proud because it was largely self-driven by the members of the state. As a result of this legislation, he predicts that the state will be quicker to bring itself into more proper alignment with the northern parts of the nation and thus more capable of sharing in and contributing to the national prosperity. Works Cited Johnson, Michael P. Abraham Lincoln, Slavery and the Civil War. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2001. Read More