You Haven't Seen Lincoln Yet??

150 Years of the Emancipation Proclamation

If you haven't seen “Lincoln” yet - what are you waiting for?

It was an incredible movie that offered great insight on the hurdles necessary to end slavery in this country. More than a war, it took an act of Congress to pass the 13^th Amendment and make slavery illegal in this great land of the free and home of the brave. You'd think that wouldn't have been necessary, but in a land famous for cotton, sugar, rice, tobacco, wheat, and corn – it helped make the country rich. Its unfortunate that some don't realize that this bitter legacy is still bringing us down, even all these years later.

Lincoln was concerned that if the war ended without the formal end of slavery having been decided, slaves might be forced to return to their masters because the Proclamation was made in his capacity as Commander in Chief, not a law passed by both Houses of Congress - can you imagine?

The Proclamation only freed slaves in the southern states that were at war and being turned back, but it didn't formally end slavery for all. It was useful in making some European countries that relied on cotton, rice, and sugar from the south, think twice about intervening on the side of the Confederacy. Delaware, Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland were not impacted by the Emancipation Proclamation because they were not fighting at the time, so they still had the right to own slaves.

Notherners were concerned about the impact on the Labor market, but they didn't complain about the thousands of former slaves joining and fighting in the Union Army at the time. They didn't want blacks taking jobs, competing head to head, or elevating themselves to a position of strength against the majority. It's distressing to see that even lame duck Democrats of the time were loathe to vote to end slavery and provide freedom to all. They didn't even have anything to lose.

It seems that people were not inclined to admit, even to themselves, that the Civil War was about slavery. You can couch it in calls for States Rights, and too much government, but the bottom line was that the south didn't want to lose it's economic hammer – a free labor market. Like most great victories, it came at a terrible price as the President was killed for asserting that blacks must have some rights.

I realize that there are still many who think that Abraham Lincoln was a racist, wanted to send slaves back to Africa, and didn't do nearly enough to help blacks win the equality we still seek, but it's clear that he made a contribution that we can still be greatful for. People are still debating the reasons for the war as well as who was really on our side. Its my hope that we won't still be debating the subject 150 years from now.