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Slavery And The Abolition Of Slavery

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Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president, served during the Civil War, a time of moral, constitutional, and political crises for the United States. During this time, Lincoln frequently discussed the main issue of controversy that contributed to the split of the Union: slavery. Lincoln explicitly expressed that slavery should be abolished for several reasons, recognizing the practice as an extreme violation of human rights and American republicanism. Despite his advocacy for abolishment, Lincoln’s politics on racial justice were still problematic. While Abraham Lincoln recognizes basic human rights, and advocates that slavery is an obvious violation of these basic principles, I argue and characterize his politics of racial justice as contradictory and problematic because of his belief in racial superiority that favors white people.

To demonstrate this characterization, I begin with an explanation of Lincoln’s position on slavery and the abolishment of slavery, focusing on his two main arguments that slavery is not only immoral but a poor reflection of the nation. I continue to discuss the advantages of his position, and note that he does argue against an immoral practice. Finally, I counter with the disadvantages of his position, stating that his position on racial equality still promoted the oppression and suppression of blacks.

Lincoln’s focus and primary goal during his time in office was maintaining the foundation and system created by the Founding

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