Lincoln on Race and Slavery

From acclaimed scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the most comprehensive collection of Lincoln's writings on race and slaveryGenerations 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 1830s to the 1860s.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.

List of Illustrations xiiiAcknowledgments xvAbraham Lincoln on Race and Slavery Henry Louis Gates, Jr. xvii
Chapter 1: Protest in Illinois Legislature on SlaveryMarch 3, 1837 1Chapter 2: Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Sringfield,January 27, 1838 3Chapter 3: AL to Mary SeedSeptember 27, 1841 9Chapter 4: Temperance AddressFebruary 22, 1842 11Chapter 5: AL to Williamson DurleyOctober 3, 1845 16Chapter 6: AL to Josephus HewettFebruary 13, 1848 20Chapter 7: Seech at Worcester, MassachusettsSeptember 12, 1848 23Chapter 8: Remarks and Resolution Introduced in United tates House of Representatives Concerning Aolition of Slavery in the District of ColumbiaJanuary 10, 1849 26Chapter 9: Eulogy on Henry Clay& January 4, 1855, Outline for Seech to the Colonization SocietyJuly 6, 1852 31Chapter 10: Hon. A. Lincoln's Address, Before the Sringfield Scott Club, in Reply to Judge Douglas' Richmond SeechAugust 14 and 26, 1852 43
Chapter 11: Fragments on SlaveryJuly 1, 1854 48Chapter 12: Speech at Bloomington, IllinoisSeptember 12, 1854 51Chapter 13: Speech at Peoria,October 16, 1854 56Chapter 14: AL to Ichabod CoddingNovember 27, 1854 69Chapter 15: AL to Oen LovejoyAugust 11, 1855 71Chapter 16: AL to George RobertsonAugust 15, 1855 73Chapter 17: AL to Joshua F. SpeedAugust 24, 1855 77Chapter 18: Speech at Kalamazoo, MichiganAugust 27, 1856 84Chapter 19: AL to Newton Deming and George P. StrongMay 25, 1857 90Chapter 20: Speech at Sringfield, IllinoisJune 26, 1857 92
Chapter 21: A House Divided, Speech at Sringfield, IllinoisJune 16, 1858 103Chapter 22: to John L. ScrippsJune 23, 1858 107Chapter 23: Fragment on the Struggle Against SlaveryJuly, 1858 109Chapter 24: Speech at Chicago, IllinoisJuly 10, 1858 111Chapter 25: Speech at Sringfield,July 17, 1858 119Chapter 26: Speech at Lewistown,August 17, 1858 124Chapter 27: First Debate ith Stephen A. Douglas at Ottawa, IllinoisAugust 21, 1858 127Chapter 28: Second at Freeport IllinoisAugust 27, 1858 137Chapter 29: Speech at Carlinville, IllinoisAugust 31, 1858 143Chapter 30: at Clinton, IllinoisSeptember 2, 1858 149
Chapter 31: Speech at Edwardsville, IllinoisSeptember 11, 1858 152Chapter 32: Fourth Debate ith Stephen A. DouglasSeptember 18, 1858 156Chapter 33: Fragment on Pro-slavery TheologyOctober 1, 1858 160Chapter 34: Seventh and Last Debate with Stephen A. Douglasat Alton, Illinois, & October 18, 1858, AL to James N. BrownOctober 15, 1858 163Chapter 35: to Salmon P. ChaseJune 9, 1859 174Chapter 36: Speech at Columbus, OhioSeptember 16, 1859 177Chapter 37: Speech at Cincinnati, OhioSeptember 17, 1859 187Chapter 38: Fragment on Free LaborSeptember 17, 1859 191Chapter 39: Address at the Cooper Institute, New York CityFebruary 27, 1860 193Chapter 40: Speech at Hartford, ConnecticutMarch 5, 1860 202
Chapter 41: AL to John A. GilmerDecember 15, 1860 210Chapter 42: First Inaugural AddressMarch 4, 1861 214Chapter 43: AL to Orville H. BrowningSeptember 22, 1861 218Chapter 44: Message to CongressMarch 6, 1862 222Chapter 45: AL to James A. McDougallMarch 14, 1862 225Chapter 46: AL to Horace Greeley & Aril 16, 1862, Message to CongressMarch 24, 1862 228Chapter 47: Appeal to Border State Representatives to Favor Compensated EancipationJuly 12, 1862 231Chapter 48: Address on Colonization to a Deputation of NegroesAugust 14, 1862 235Chapter 49: AL to Horace GreeleyAugust 22, 1862 242Chapter 50: Reply to Eancipation Memorial Presented by Chicago Christians of All DenominationsSeptember 13, 1862 245
Chapter 51: Preliminary ProclamationSeptember 22, 1862 250Chapter 52: Annual Message to CongressDecember 1, 1862 255Chapter 53: Eancipation ProclamationJanuary 1, 1863 265Chapter 54: AL to AndrewJohnsonMarch 26, 1863 270Chapter 55: Resolution on SlaveryApril 15, 1863 272Chapter 56: AL to John M. SchofieldJune 22, 1863 274Chapter 57: Order of RetaliationJuly 30, 1863 276Chapter 58: AL to Nathaniel P. BanksAugust 5, 1863 279Chapter 59: AL to Gen. Ulysses S. GrantAugust 9, 1863 282Chapter 60: AL to James C. ConklingAugust 26, 1863 284
Chapter 61: FragmentAugust 26, 1863 290Chapter 62: Annual Message to CongressDecember 8, 1863 292Chapter 63: Reply to Nework Workingmen's Democratic Republican AssociationMarch 21, 1864 295Chapter 64: AL to Albert G. HodgesApril 4, 1864 298Chapter 65: AL to Edwin M. StantonMay 17, 1864 302Chapter 66: Interviewith Alexander W. Randall and Joseph T. MillsAugust 18, 1864 305Chapter 67: Resolution Submitting the Thirteenth Aendmentto the StatesFebruary 1, 1865 308Chapter 68: Second Inaugural AddressMarch 4, 1865 310Chapter 69: Speech to One Hundred Fortieth Indiana RegimentMarch 17, 1865 313Chapter 70: Last Public AddressApril 11, 1865 316
Appendix: Lincoln, Race, and Humor 321Index 329