QUOTE:
“Fondly do we hope - fervently do we pray - that this mighty scourge of war my speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword” (Lincoln 1636).
SUMMARY:
Lincoln seems to be saying that the Civil War was necessary to pay back God for all of the innocent lives that were so horribly destroyed by slavery.
RESPONSE:
After reading Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, I feel much better about the man Lincoln becomes. He may have started out indifferent to the issue of slavery, but by this quote in his speech, Lincoln even understands how many people were wrongly enslaved, treated horribly, and beaten. I know it took him a little time to fully change his view of slavery, but better late than never! I also love how he isn’t saying that only the South should have been punished. It seems to me that Lincoln is saying that the North was also punished for letting slavery continue for so long.
It’s so funny how reading this speech makes me SO glad that the North won the Civil War, well maybe not funny, but it makes me realize that there could have been a different outcome! If the South won, Lincoln said every state would have had to become a slave state! I’m not really sure how that would have ever worked; just because so many Africans were already living free in the North. I also think that the people in the North would have felt really horrible if they had to capture all of the free African Americans as slaves.
Maybe Lincoln didn't really mean it when he said, “It will become all one thing, or all the other” (Lincoln 1629). Because if he meant that the whole North would have had to change to slave states as well if the South won the Civil War, I really don’t think that would have worked. I think that would have been a lot harder to change, because so many people were so passionate against slavery.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Journal #31 Abraham Lincoln: Don't Believe The Hype!
QUOTE:
“Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new-North as well as South” (Lincoln 1629).
SUMMARY:
Lincoln is saying that if the South wins the war, then slavery will have to be accepted everywhere.
RESPONSE:
Abraham Lincoln really wasn’t on a side at the beginning of the Civil War. He didn’t care who won; North or South, he just couldn’t allow the country’s unrest to continue. Lincoln was looking out for his country, so breaking up into two separate countries would have been out of the question for him. I can see why certain abolitionists wouldn’t like Lincoln. Lincoln was determined to keep the country together but seemed so apathetic about the issue of slavery.
I think this is why I’ve always had this notion that Lincoln wasn’t really the greatest president ever, like many people think. It bothered me though, because I knew that Lincoln never really wanted to end slavery, but I didn’t know to what extent. I always felt bad, like maybe I was too cynical to think Lincoln could actually have been the greatest president. However, at least now I know that I wasn’t too far off with questioning Lincoln’s principles.
Maybe it was easy for me to believe the truth about Lincoln because so many presidents, celebrities, etc., don’t live up to their hype. I guess I could look at it on the bright side, and be glad that Lincoln at least wasn’t specifically on the Confederate side. However, I really can’t imagine what would have actually happened if the South ended up winning. Lincoln said he would have to change EVERY state to a slave state, and that would have been all bad! There’s no way that could have lasted, and I’m sure there would have been many more wars besides the Civil War in order to get rid of slavery.
“Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new-North as well as South” (Lincoln 1629).
SUMMARY:
Lincoln is saying that if the South wins the war, then slavery will have to be accepted everywhere.
RESPONSE:
Abraham Lincoln really wasn’t on a side at the beginning of the Civil War. He didn’t care who won; North or South, he just couldn’t allow the country’s unrest to continue. Lincoln was looking out for his country, so breaking up into two separate countries would have been out of the question for him. I can see why certain abolitionists wouldn’t like Lincoln. Lincoln was determined to keep the country together but seemed so apathetic about the issue of slavery.
I think this is why I’ve always had this notion that Lincoln wasn’t really the greatest president ever, like many people think. It bothered me though, because I knew that Lincoln never really wanted to end slavery, but I didn’t know to what extent. I always felt bad, like maybe I was too cynical to think Lincoln could actually have been the greatest president. However, at least now I know that I wasn’t too far off with questioning Lincoln’s principles.
Maybe it was easy for me to believe the truth about Lincoln because so many presidents, celebrities, etc., don’t live up to their hype. I guess I could look at it on the bright side, and be glad that Lincoln at least wasn’t specifically on the Confederate side. However, I really can’t imagine what would have actually happened if the South ended up winning. Lincoln said he would have to change EVERY state to a slave state, and that would have been all bad! There’s no way that could have lasted, and I’m sure there would have been many more wars besides the Civil War in order to get rid of slavery.
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