The Real Lincoln Analysis

Matthew Sadlow
Critique of “The Real Lincoln”
10 /24/14

In the second chapter of The Real Lincoln, author Lorenzo brings up many facts about Lincoln that I had not previously been aware of. Throughout the chapter he addresses Lincoln’s outlook on slavery. In a debate with Senator Stephen Douglas, Lincoln admits that he had no intentions of freeing the slaves. Lincoln says “I have no purpose to introduce political and social equality between white and black races. There is a physical difference between the two…”(DiLorenzo). Most of the chapter was DiLorenzo explaining just how clear Lincoln made it that he was not for equal rights, even though he did feel slavery was wrong. These two should not be confused with each other. Also, he illustrates
However, Lincoln also was for new housing for free white people. This was land personally reserved for whites. The shut out blacks, in other words they were not allowed in. Alabama was one of these states. This is another example that shows Lincoln was opposed to slavery. In chapter three DiLorenzo examines that Lincoln had no intention of emancipating the slaves. The only way he would willfully do so would be because he was forced to emancipate them. He states multiple times throughout the chapter that, if Lincoln’s true intentions were to free the slaves, that he would have done it peacefully. Like so many other places who once had slavery they emancipated them peacefully through compensation. Lincoln was not a naïve man and he knew this was an option but cared little about slaves. After hearing of Fremont’s proclamation to take the land and free the slaves of anyone who resisted the feral army, Lincoln stripped Fremont of his command. DiLorenzo on page 35 states that any attempt at emancipation from Lincoln was done solely for preserving the Union. On top of that, the famous emancipation proclamation did not actually have any effect. It failed to free a single slave. This is because the only states this proclamation applied to were revel states not federal states. DiLorenzo admits that the proclamation helped Lincoln gain power but that was about all it did. It appeased abolitionists
Thomas Jefferson in particular showed is support for succession. Lincolns force used to secure the Union was unacceptable and even Alexander Hamilton opposed the way Abe went about things. Every state had the right to secede is what DiLorenzo was trying to get at. Everyone but Lincoln appeared to understand this. Lincoln was so fueled by keeping the Union together he lost sight of what is right. If that wasn’t bad, Lincoln himself even said himself that states have the right to secede. I feel that Lincoln had the right intentions in mind but went about it in the wrong way. Everyone knows “Abe never told a lie” but he was sure a hypocrite. It surprises me that even though everyone said the south had a right to secede that he would still wage a war over it. Even more, people let him do this. Now, im not saying Lincoln is a bad man, but his methods of doing some things were unorthodox. He was however a great president but like all great presidents he made some