Was Abraham Lincoln a Racist?

[Fencing Jesus]

'Negro equality! Fudge! How long, in the government of a God great enough to make and maintain the Universe, shall there continue knaves to vend, and fools to gulp, so low a piece of demagoguism as this?'

Lincoln's Notes for Speeches, September 1859, Collected Works, vol. 3, p. 399:



'See our present condition -- the country engaged in war! -- our White men cutting one another's throats ... and then consider what we know to be truth. * * * But for your race among us there could not be war, although many men engaged on either side do not care for you one way or the other ... It is better for us both, therefore, to be separated. * * * You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races. Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss, but this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think your race suffer very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffers from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this is admitted, it affords a reason at least why we should be separated.'

Lincoln's Address on Colonization to a Deputation of Negroes in Washington , D.C. on August 14, 1862 Collected Works, Vol. V, p. 371

[Black Jeebus]

Lincoln surely didn't free the slaves out of love for his fellow man. After all, the actual Emancipation Proclamation only frees the slaves in those states that were part of the Confederacy. The four "border" states (or slave states that fought for the Union) were allowed to retain their slaves until sometime after the war. President Lincoln "freed" the slaves of the states that were already ignoring his gov't in hopes that the slaves would rise against the slave-owners. But in the Union loyal slave states he didn't want to cause any trouble so he allowed them to retain the right to own slaves.

[ReverseLunge]

It is wrong not to be a racist. People who say they aren't racist are liars. White women who prefer black men are racist too.

[Amadeus]

Short answer: probably a little.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

better question: was lincoln gay?

[ReverseLunge]

With all this globalization going on a lot of races are mingling and a lot of new race have been created like Blacktino and Blackanese. In the past these races were not accepted but now they are lovingly accepted.

There is even a new race of hispanics being created in California, Arizona and Texas right now. The Mexican't.

I am a hard working, intelligent black man and my wife is a white Mexican but my son for some reason is not a blacktino. In fact he looks almost completely white. You can barely tell he has any of my black blood.

Here is a picture of my son.

[Fencing Jesus]

OMG!

Oh mira, I don't think that is your baby.

Your wife may have been cheating on you, ese. While you may not be comfortable with that fact, I should warn you, this is a totally normal part of catholic culture.

There are things that you would not want to do with your wife, and there are things that she will not want to do with her. That doesn't mean that they don't happen elsewhere.

[ReverseLunge]

OMG!

Oh mira, I don't think that is your baby.

Your wife may have been cheating on you, ese. While you may not be comfortable with that fact, I should warn you, this is a totally normal part of catholic culture.

There are things that you would not want to do with your wife, and there are things that she will not want to do with her. That doesn't mean that they don't happen elsewhere.

My Lord,

I deeply apologize about all the Mary Worshipping going on in my home. I had no choice but to wed this woman. I accidentally impregnated her with my seed. She tempted me while we was drivng home drunk from a fiesta. We pulled over and made love in my new Toyota Tacoma. I was young and I had no experience on the ways of making love in a car so when it came time to withdraw my manhood the steering wheel stopped me.

[Elemental]

With all this globalization going on a lot of races are mingling and a lot of new race have been created like Blacktino and Blackanese. In the past these races were not accepted but now they are lovingly accepted.

There is even a new race of hispanics being created in California, Arizona and Texas right now. The Mexican't.

I am a hard working, intelligent black man and my wife is a white Mexican but my son for some reason is not a blacktino. In fact he looks almost completely white. You can barely tell he has any of my black blood.

Here is a picture of my son.

Not much of a resemblence. What color is your milkman?

[ReverseLunge]

Not much of a resemblence. What color is your milkman?

Actually there is a lot of resemblance.

[Fencing Jesus]

Not much of a resemblence. What color is your milkman?

Milkman! Milkman!!!

When was the last time they had milkmen?

How freakin' old are your jokes?

[epeeisky]

Milkman! Milkman!!!

When was the last time they had milkmen?

How freakin' old are your jokes?

I used to have a milkman.

If you follow the link that RL gave that picture is off of a fishing/hunting/town page of Bellaire, MI. Since I am pretty sure RL lives In CA, he probally did a google image search. Also, I really doubt that he is married or a man.

[bmcfencer]

Of course Lincoln was a racist. His personal prejudices aside, he was part of a system of power and oppression that held one "race" to be better than another and he was a member of the dominant "race".

Interesting question for me- How could he NOT be a racist? Does working against racism make you not a racist? Can it, since the first step towards being an "ally" is to awknowledge your own racism?

It is interesting to me just how upset people get when you throw out the charge of racism. "What?! There can't be racism here! I have never personally seen a person of another race openly degraded! I've never heard a racist joke! And I personally have a black friend!".

Structural violence is about more than physical or verbal abuse. It's more insiduous and much harder to be aware of, and most people can pretend it's not there if they want to. Oppression often works in subtle and confusing ways, and it's much easier for those benefiting from an oppressive system to ignore the system that automatically holds them to be superior. Most white people don't want to awknowledge that we are treated differently because of the color of our skin. Racism isn't just the red neck who wants to be part of KKK, it's the person who locks their car doors when they drive through a black neighborhood, the immediate prejudice against anyone of Arabic descent when going through customs, the exotification of urban black/latino culture, the stereotypical roles for people with darker skin on television and in the movies, and.... well, I could go on for awhile.

An anti-racism workshop I went to once defined band-aids as racist. Think about it.

[BrianH]

An anti-racism workshop I went to once defined band-aids as racist. Think about it.

They probably also mentioned crayons too, didn't they?

[Zilverzmurfen]

They probably also mentioned crayons too, didn't they?

Heh, you have to love the 'Crayola Rejects'..!


(That's an excellent band name, by the way. )

[ThatReallyHurt]

Of course Lincoln was a racist. His personal prejudices aside, he was part of a system of power and oppression that held one "race" to be better than another and he was a member of the dominant "race".

~snip~

An anti-racism workshop I went to once defined band-aids as racist. Think about it.

Great post, BMC - rep for you (when I'm allowed)!

[BrianH]

Heh, you have to love the 'Crayola Rejects'..!
(That's an excellent band name, by the way. )

I'll play lead guitar and you can play bass....I think we'll definitely learn about rejection!

(Not to denigrate your future skills with a bass; I just admit to being the worst guitar player in this region.)

[bmcfencer]

They probably also mentioned crayons too, didn't they?

Crayola Crayons are actually amazingly PC these days. And for awhile they were trying to market "Diversity Crayons", which I must admit amuses me quite a bit.

[bmcfencer]

Great post, BMC - rep for you (when I'm allowed)!

Thanks!

[Inquartata]

"But at my back I always hear
Gav's winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast closed posts abye.

( With apologies to Andy Marvell )