by MARGEAUX SIPPELL
Abraham Lincoln was an American hero — but a flawed one. As we celebrate his essential contributions to our country, let’s also acknowledge some ugly truths that reflect the times in which our our 16th president lived.
But First, Yes, Of Course, We Know
Of course President Lincoln was far more advanced in his time than many of his white contemporaries. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 that Gordon Granger, a general in the Union Army, led thousands of Union troops into Galveston, Texas, to enforce Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation ordering the end of slavery.
Context is important. Lincoln took a bold and courageous stand for his time.
But it’s also important to understand our country’s real history, and not just the most cheerful version of it. So here are some ugly truths about Lincoln, that go along with the laudable ones.
Lincoln Cared More About Preserving the Union Than Ending Slavery
Lincoln’s main goal during his presidency, which began just before the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, was to preserve the Union — not to free slaves.
Christopher Bonner, a historian at the University of Maryland, says in Netflix’s historical documentary Amend: “Lincoln understands that slavery is bad, which is a good start. But he says that if I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do so.”
“He has got to get the South back, and at this point, he’ll do whatever it takes to win, even if it’s at the expense of Black Americans,” Smith says of Lincoln’s thinking at the time.
You don’t have to take the documentary’s word for it. You can read Lincoln’s August 22, 1862 letter here, in which he states: “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that.”
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