TheMadCap Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 It might help to do some research on the American Colonization Society as well. It was founded in 1816 and it had support among whites and blacks alike. It actually led to the founding of Liberia. Colonization was a popular movement. As to Lincoln's stance on the repatriation of slaves, it wasn't something he advocated early in his career in Congress. However, he did warm to the concept as a way of peacefully settling the issue of slavery as the movement became more progressive in the 1850s. This wasn't borne out of some idea of racial supremacy so much as a need for a politically expedient solution to an ever-growing problem in the country. We need to be careful not to judge those times through the prism of modern day societal and cultural values. In the end though, it's important to remember that Lincoln's position evolved and by the end of the war he began to see that colonization was never going to be a practical solution and that whites and blacks would have to learn to co-exist as a free people in the US. And I think he was fully aware of the major conflicts this would create in the future. Once again, thanks for stating in a clearer manner than I can. This is exactly my point, which I feel authors such as Bennett do not properly consider when they view the situation in 1850 vs. 1970... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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