On the 1st January 1863, the then president of America, Abraham Lincoln as the commander in chief of the armed forces through the presidential constitutional authority, issued an executive order. This order was to be christened as Emancipation Proclamation (Oakes, 2015). This executive order was very imperative especially in the lives of the 3 million slaves in the South. The federal legal status of these slaves would dramatically change since freedom had been sure fired.
This Liberation Announcement meant that all slaves within the ten states would be free. Further, the slave trade was the Southern Confederate supporters were ordered to surrender all the slaves under their arms. However, even though he issued this order, there is more of concerns than what meets the eye (Oakes, 2015) - Abraham Lincoln was not for slavery abolishment, he contrary supported the latter. The body of this research paper is divided into six major sections each explaining how Lincoln was not for slave obliteration.
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Lincoln Found Nothing Wrong with Slavery because it was Constitutionally Sanctioned .
Greene (2015) argues that according to Lincoln, the slave trade and all other aspects aligned to it were morally off the beam. However, since this had been auctioned by the country's constitution (Oakes, 2015). He found nothing erroneous with the subject. He struggled on how to talk this thorny issue of slavery since it was not explicitly explained in the law by his predecessors. However, there were key clauses of that constitution that safeguarded the welfare of all people; He applied these provisions in abolishing the servitude (Bolden, 2016).
Further, Greene (2015) suggests that in 1854, Lincoln proved to the world that he did not intend to eradicate captivity. On the fall of that year (1854), in Peoria, he presented a speech that lasted for three hours (Oakes, 2015). On his speech, he gave the world his real perception in regards to the moral, economic, and legal stand on slavery (Oakes, 2015).
Lincoln buttressed that slavery was not only morally wrong but also legally jumbled. However, Bolden (2016) argues that there was nothing prevalent that Lincoln could have been done to control the same since the political system of the day was hysterical yet it was the leading cause of slavery (Greene, 2015).
Therefore, from the above discussion, it is of substance to conclude that Abraham Lincoln was not an abolitionist (Karman, 2017). He ought to know the steps to follow to remit captivity that he ironically failed to own up (Oakes, 2015). Greene (2015) explains that according to Lincoln, he concedes that slavery is immoral and therefore instantaneous abolishment was vivacious. He did not care about the welfare of the slaves or laws that might have protected them against maltreatments by their owners (Bolden, 2016).
Further, both Oakes (2015) and Bolden (2016) argues that even after the executive order, Lincoln was not concerned about the assimilation of these slaves into the society. He neither cared whether the slaves would be working under the constitution or the political systems of the day notwithstanding that these political organizations were responsible for the unjust captivities (Greene, 2015).
Karman (2017) disputes that Lincoln only considered himself operational along with the adversaries on a regular anti-slavery ground. He, however, forgot his disposition among the antagonists since he eventually won over them (Greene, 2015).
Lincoln believed that the Blacks and Whites did not have Equal Rights.
Lincoln frequently argued that the all men were equally created (Oakes, 2015). In contrast, he interestingly thought that their political and social rights were jagged. This was evident in the 1858 debate for the USA Senate race (Greene 2015). Stephen Douglas, his close competitor, accused him of ancillary Negro impartiality (Bolden, 2016).
In his defense, Lincoln argued that he had never intentioned to bring the social and political rights of the blacks and whites in a state of equipoise (Greene, 2015). He went further to dispute that the disparate with the blacks' right of voting, their intermarriages with the whites and them serving as panels of adjudicators in courts (Bolden, 2016).
Bolden (2016) adds that what he believed in was equal to all men in the United States; the blacks had rights to enjoy the fruits of their hard work and improve their living standards.
Lincoln Assumed that Slavery would be Committed to Colonization
Lincoln believed in the inkling of the African majority population would vacate the United States and migrate to Africa where they would settle (Oakes, 2015). According to him, this was the best approach to the latter (Bolden, 2016). He had a perception that the whites and blacks would never co-exist nonbelligerenly. To support this, he publicly sponsored the colonization idea after which he suggested that all the freed slaves should be retaken to Liberia (Greene, 2015).
In 1862 as Lincoln was preparing the Emancipation Proclamation draft, he invited all freed delegators to the White House hoping that they would contribute and aid him his much-needed support on Central America colonialization (Oakes, 2015). On this delegation, he explained to the visitors that due to the unleveled and manifest differences between the whites and blacks, there was a dire need to separate the two races (Karman, 2017).
However, Bolden (2016) contradicts with Oakes (2015) earlier arguments, he says that contrast to Oakes earlier discussion, the pronouncement by Lincoln to separate the two races angered the black delegates present at that delegation; they retaliated that they were natives of the land, therefore, had equal rights with the whites (Greene, 2015). To show that he was not for slavery abolishment, Karman (2017) ascertains that Lincoln never mentioned about that issue later after issuing the proclamation.
Slavery Liberation was a Constitutional Mandate and a Military Policy.
Lincoln hated the slavery institution; however, he failed to recognize that there was a civil war struggle to free the 3 million slaves from incarceration (Oakes, 2015). He would have gradually introduced Emancipation to prevent the rebellion from the south where slavery was major (Oakes, 2015).
Oakes (2015 elucidates that Lincoln hurriedly drafted the liberation order and quickly executed it, which leads to a division between the blacks and whites. Nevertheless, Karman (2017) explains that, in the summer of 1862, many slaves absconded the southern plantations to other areas such as the Union lines. In this case, the central government was constitutionally tied and lacked clear policies on how to deal with such alliances (Greene, 2015).
Lincoln Wanted to applauses as the Hero of Emancipation Proclamation.
Karman (2017) explains that During the Emancipation Proclamation, only a small portion of the total slaves was on the loose. Mainly because the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln was only a constitutional order as well as a soldierly implementation (Oakes, 2015).
Therefore, the order was only constrained within the borders. It could not be used on other loyal states such as Maryland or Delaware (Karman, 2017). Moreover, Lincoln discharged particular areas for Confederacy purposes (Greene, 2015). Karman (2017) suggests that by forming these alliances, he hoped that these countries would be loyal to the White House hence ease of control. Hence, not all slaves were unencumbered by the Emancipation Proclamation, only those that had formed alliances with the White House.
It is not easy to preempt the congressional direction that Lincoln had taken towards slavery. However, on anti-slavery petition issues, he was paramount and consistent; he went to an extent of supporting a tabled resolution against the slaves. He strongly maintained to the principle that slavery should be abolished and not extended to other areas other than the South.
However, it was very clear that Lincoln lacked conceptions in regards to how he would accomplish this role (Oakes, 2015). He instead bonded another principle in his moral repugnance of slavery. On this, he found the economic and political guidelines of human rights sabotaged. He developed a personal social mobility towards slavery, he condemned all men who aristocracy used other people’s efforts for their selfish gains yet their scores were not honest no matter their contribution levels towards the USA national grid (Oakes, 2015).
Lincoln also advocated much on liberty principle as it was advocated in the USA constitution. He invigorated unity to the citizens of America, as this would help them in achieving their state’s dreams (Oakes, 2015). However, he faced numerous challenges especially on his entry in to the country’s top national politics. The slavery issues predicated and threatened his success when seeking the country’s top job. His fights against slavery lead to the split of his party in the 1850s. Some of the members were tired of political restrictions based on captivity and bias hence sought to break from Lincoln’s political party than losing the positions they were contesting (Oakes, 2015).
Lincoln did not support any thing that opposed the advancement of men no matter the race. He once argued that he had a little disrepute for empathizing the oppressed Negros. He developed two lengthy ideas about freedom. One of these notions was compatible with the Africans while the other one was unfavorable, it advocated denial of African-American rights in voting. He affirmed that Americans were only interested in be exploiting the blacks for their personal comfort causing them dismay (Oakes, 2015).
Conclusion
Despite the limitations of the Lincoln’s drafted proclamation and the fact that Lincoln was not apprehensive about the release of the slaves, the period was a fundamental whirling argument towards Lincoln’s perception of slavery. The country’s civil rights too were henceforth adhere.
References
Oakes, J. (2015). Making Freedom National: Salmon P. Chase and the Abolition of Slavery. Geo. JL & Pub. Pol'y , 13 , 407.
Greene, L. A. (2014). lincoln, slaveRy, and Race in civil WaR neW JeRsey: the docUMentaRy evidence and tReatMents in filM. The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries , 66 .
Bolden, T. (2016). Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the dawn of liberty . Abrams.
Kalman, M. (2017). Looking at Lincoln . Penguin.
