Faizi Afnan-Meshkin
Many believe Abraham Lincoln has earned the title “The Great Emancipator” because of his efforts in abolishing slavery, but I disagree. He does not deserve this title because there were many flaws in his steps to emancipation. It is unknown to most that President Lincoln was a slaveholder himself. Lincoln created the Emancipation Proclamation, but it did not free all of the slaves. Although he did make significant progress in helping free the slaves, Abraham Lincoln is not worthy of the title “The Great Emancipator”. The Emancipation Proclamation was passed in 1863, but he did not use it to free all of the slaves. It didn’t apply to the states that had freed slaves, and many believe that it was issued as a way to help
…show more content…
An article on History.com states “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races” which Lincoln delivered in a debate with Douglas. This quote clearly illustrates that President Lincoln did not support equality of black and whites, and this is a vital reason as to why I believe he doesn’t deserve the title “The Great Emancipator”. It is presumed that Lincoln wanted all races to be unified, but blacks did not share the same schools, nightclubs, or transportation as whites and were still segregated.
Although many think that Lincoln is “The Great Emancipator” they must also realize that he was not the only person making an effort to liberate the slaves. For example, John Brown risked his life to start a rebellion and assist the slaves. Not every person fighting for the freedom of slaves took a violent approach. There were many people such as Frederick Douglass who escaped slavery and went on to become an author. His writings reached a mass amount of people and through his works he was able to deepen and change the minds of numerous people.
Lincoln is looked at as “The Great Emancipator” because he was the President of the United States and had a lot of authority during a period where slavery was trying to be abolished. I believe he does not vindicate himself