Lincoln as the Great Emancipator

KN Simon

Abraham Lincoln may have played a large part in the emancipation of slaves but does not deserve the high praise accorded to him as the great emancipator. Evidently, from the beginning, he was only after saving the union rather than the commitment to end slavery. In a letter to Horace Greeley, he argued that his paramount object in the struggle was to save the Union stating that if he could save the Union without freeing all the slaves, then he would do it. Therefore, this shows that his objectives were to preserve the Union even if they led to emancipation.

Both critics and admirers still relate to the issue that gave him this term, with some arguing that because he was in office during the proclamation of emancipation, that did not make him the great liberator (Rhodes, 2016). He recognized that the preservation of the Union would offer run-away slaves refuge and thus denying the south their workforce. However, Lincoln only agreed to use escaped slaves as soldiers in the Union after he was convinced it would weaken the South and in turn shorten the war.

As president, Lincoln issued an Emancipation proclamation that is wrongly perceived to have the greatest repercussions in the emancipation. The proclamation only served to free slaves in the rebelling states and territories and did nothing for the others.

In the fifth debate with Stephen Douglas at Galesburg, Lincoln offered a view that the blacks were not supposed to be made voters and the white man should remain superior over the black man (Landry, 2016). This argument shows that his initial motives were not to free the slaves, these just developed over time because they would save his image.

Lincoln freed the slaves, and because of this, he is among the greatest leaders ever left. However, his journey began with different ideologies, and that is why some people regard him as the man who freed African-American slaves while other relate to him as an opportunist (Friedman). One can argue that his motives were not to free slaves from the beginning; these were just a means to an end.

References

Friedman, M. J. (n.d.). Lincoln as Emancipator —Lincoln and the slavery debate. Retrieved from http://photos.state.gov/libraries/finland/788/pdfs/abraham_lincoln.pdf

Landry, A. (2016, April 19). Abraham Lincoln: Enigmatic president, and full of contradictions. Retrieved from https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/history/events/abraham-lincoln-enigmatic-president-and-full-of-contradictions/

Rhodes, H. (2016). Abraham Lincoln: enigmatic president, and full of contradictions. Retrieved from https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/history/events/abraham-lincoln-enigmatic-president-and-full-of-contradictions/

Lincoln as the Great Emancipator

Abraham Lincoln may have played a large part in the emancipation of slaves but does not deserve the high praise accorded to him as the great emancipator. It is evident that from the beginning, he was only after saving the union rather than the commitment to end slavery. In a letter to Horace Greeley, he argued that his paramount object in the struggle was to save the Union stating that if he could save the Union without freeing all the slaves, then he would do it. Therefore, this shows that his objectives were to preserve the Union even if they led to emancipation.

Both critics and admirers still relate to the issue that gave him this term, with some arguing that because he was in office during the proclamation of emancipation that did not make him the great liberator (Rhodes, 2016). He recognized that the preservation of the Union would offer run-away slaves refuge and thus denying the south their workforce. However, Lincoln only agreed to use escaped slaves as soldiers in the Union after he was convinced it would weaken the South and in turn shorten the war.

As president, Lincoln issued an Emancipation proclamation that is wrongly perceived to have the greatest repercussions in the emancipation. The proclamation only served to free slaves in the rebelling states and territories and did nothing for the others.

In the fifth debate with Stephen Douglas at Galesburg, Lincoln offered a view that the blacks were not supposed to be made voters and the white man should remain superior over the black man (Landry, 2016). This argument shows that his initial motives were not to free the slaves, these just developed over time because they would save his image.

Lincoln freed the slaves, and because of this, he is among the greatest leaders ever left. However, his journey began with different ideologies, and that is why some people regard him as the man who freed African-American slaves while other relate to him as an opportunist (Friedman). One can argue that his motives were not to free slaves from the beginning; these were just a means to an end.

References

Friedman, M. J. (n.d.). Lincoln as Emancipator —Lincoln and the slavery debate. Retrieved from http://photos.state.gov/libraries/finland/788/pdfs/abraham_lincoln.pdf

Landry, A. (2016, April 19). Abraham Lincoln: Enigmatic president, and full of contradictions. Retrieved from https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/history/events/abraham-lincoln-enigmatic-president-and-full-of-contradictions/

Rhodes, H. (2016). Abraham Lincoln: enigmatic president, and full of contradictions. Retrieved from https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/history/events/abraham-lincoln-enigmatic-president-and-full-of-contradictions/

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