Race and the Man from Illinois

Race and the Man from Illinois

        When talking about issues of slavery and racial differences, Abraham Lincoln had a different perspective from everyone else. He was different than guys like John Bell Robinson who was pro slavery because of his religion, or William Lloyd Garrison who was against slavery because he believes God made us all equal. Or Stephen Douglas who was for slavery because our founders were white and whites created our country, Lincoln just looked at things differently. Lincoln based his views off of the Declaration of Independence and his experiences growing up.

        As I just mentioned, John Bell Robinson was a white pro-slavery spokesperson who believed that God created humans unequally. He thought that the role of whites was to rule, while the job of Negroes was to serve. It was basically part of his religion to follow through with owning and controlling slaves. If he were to go against that (betray gods trust) and let slaves be free, then bad things would happen to him. John Robinson had an odd yet unique view on slavery.

        William Lloyd Garrison, a leading white abolitionist had similar views to Abraham Lincoln. He simply believed that God has made us all equal, and no one is better another. He believed that everyone should be given the same chance and treated the same.

        Stephen A. Douglas, a U.S. representative and presidential nominee from Illinois was all for slavery and strongly opposed Negro citizenship. Since our country was made by White men and our founders were white, Douglas believed that our whole governmental system was set up to favor white folks or people of European descent. Douglas was all for whites and against Negroes/ Indians or inferior races. He saw Negroes as an inferior race that must always belong to an inferior position.

        Abraham Lincoln believed that it was not his position nor did he have the right to interfere with where slavery stood at the time. In a way he agreed with Douglas when talking about how the white race should stand in the superior position over whites. But, in ways he also greatly disagreed with Douglas. Unlike Douglas, Lincoln believed that Negroes along with every other race should be entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence. By theses natural rights I mean the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Lincolns view on this whole thing was unique because although he was not necessarily an abolitionist he saw slavery as an evil thing. In his exerts Lincoln stated that yes, Negroes are not equal in certain respects, like in color and moral or intellectual endowment. But when talking about Negroes having the same rights and being treated fairly, he thinks that they are equal and everyone should be treated the same That’s what he means by saying “all men are created equal”. Lincoln was ahead of his time because of how he viewed slavery; he found the perfect medium, not being too racist, but also not giving the blacks the upper hand.

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