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Lincoln The Great Emancipator Analysis

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After analyzing a multitude of documents on the contrasting views of Lincoln, I was forced to come to the conclusion that Lincoln was both a racist and an emancipator. A racist is a person who believes that a particular race is superior to another, Lincoln did not see free blacks as colonists making many believe he was racist. But on the other hand he freed the slaves in the south giving him the title of the Great Emancipator. An emancipator is a person who frees someone or something from bondage, oppression or restraint which is exactly what he did when he freed the slaves. While Lincoln was president he saw both races suffering from events taking place at that time. He knew he could not control all of the events occurring at this time, so …show more content…

During the time of the Kansas Nebraska Act, Lincoln said “My first impulse would be to free all slaves, and send them to Liberia, to their own native land” (Video 2, Peoria Speech). He wanted to help the slaves and said “I think I would not hold one in slavery at any rate” (Video 2, Peoria Speech). Unlike many people during this time, he believed there was humanity in negros. He talks about how he saw a family being separated so they could be traded and the devastation that it brought to the families who would never see each other again. (Video 3, the 4th Debate). In 1862, Lincoln was appointed 600,000 dollars from congress to use for colonization of the African Americans. He believed that colonization would truly benefit them, they would finally be accepted and not have to be separated. Lincoln wanted to persuade them to choose colonization because he believed it would make the white anti-abolitionists happy as well as benefit the blacks. This way they were both happy and neither race would have to suffer anymore. He asked if this was something they wanted to do and did not force them to colonize. He tried to encourage them to become decision makers. (Video 4, Lincoln's remarks on Colonization). Colonization and emancipation would be a great opportunity for slaves, but naturally many white men and slave owners were opposed to this. Lincoln wanted to free slaves while preserving the Constitution and the country proving that he was an emancipator. (Video 5, Emancipation

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