For Presidents Day: What if Abraham Lincoln had Lived?
One of greatest tragedies of American history is the untimely death of Abraham Lincoln. Having done a great service to us all by ending slavery and preserving the Union, Lincoln had a plan for southern reconstruction that was more moderate than the measures taken after his death.
Although I sympathize with the radical Republicans of the time and their desire to quickly end slavery, give voting rights to freedmen, and crush the power of slavery as an institution, their methods lead to the “redemption” where conservative whites dominated southern politics for decades. This left a legacy of racial segregation and distrust that lingers to this day.
What if Abraham Lincoln had lived? Countless historians and authors have pondered this, but I think the video below gives the most insightful analysis.
(If you are viewing this post from your feed reader, please click through to this Abraham Lincoln article to see the embedded video).
Last 3 posts by Jason
- Brilliant contest prank - help pick the new CBC hockey theme song - Jul 23rd, 2008
- If You Think Creationism is Bad, Just Wait till You See What's Next - Jun 15th, 2008
- The 6 Most Ridiculous things Banned by Airport Security - May 31st, 2008
I’m all for ending slavery, but was preserving the Union really a great service? Wouldn’t we be better off without the south?
February 21st, 2007 at 1:24 am
Why do we need the South? one word “Textiles”, ’nuff said…
February 21st, 2007 at 12:04 pm