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Generations of Americans have debated the meaning of Abraham Lincoln's views on race and slavery. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation and supported a constitutional amendment to outlaw slavery, yet he also harbored grave doubts about the intellectual capacity of African Americans, publicly used the n-word until at least 1862, and favored permanent racial segregation. In this book--the first complete collection of Lincoln's important writings on both race and slavery--readers can explore these contradictions through Lincoln's own words. Acclaimed Harvard scholar and documentary filmmaker Henry Louis Gates, Jr., presents the full range of Lincoln's views, gathered from his private letters, speeches, official documents, and even race jokes, arranged chronologically from the late 1830's to the 1860's. Complete with definitive texts, rich historical notes, and an original introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this book charts the progress of a war within Lincoln himself. We witness his struggles with conflicting aims and ideas--a hatred of slavery and a belief in the political equality of all men, but also anti-black prejudices and a determination to preserve the Union even at the cost of preserving slavery. We also watch the evolution of his racial views, especially in reaction to the heroic fighting of black Union troops. At turns inspiring and disturbing, Lincoln on Race and Slavery is indispensable for understanding what Lincoln's views meant for his generation--and what they mean for our own.… (more)
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Take a journey through the complex mind of Abraham Lincoln as Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. does in this chronological exploration of Lincoln's key speeches and writings. Along the way, Gates asks us to consider some of the fundamental questions of the man. Was
Ultimately, the point of the book is not to answer these questions, Gates merely provides an outlet for us to examine Lincoln's words, written and spoken, and for us to make our own judgments. In many cases, believers of all sides can find statements made by Lincoln to support their arguments.
I did find it interesting in the 60 page introductory essay where Gates compared Lincoln to Obama. But he did so not in the way that most of the MSM has portrayed the 2, as transcendental figures, but rather Gates juxtaposes the 2 by comparing their contradictions. That is to say, we do both a disservice to mythologize them without fully exploring the complications which exist in them as they do in us.
As an extended essay on Lincoln's writings and words on the topics of slavery, race, and colonization, this is as good a book as any. The primary sources alone are worth the publishing of the book. While not written with a traditional narrative, this is nevertheless an important addition to the already lengthy collection of books on Lincoln.