Robert Morgan on Lincoln's views on slavery and race adjustment

Many Americans think of Abraham Lincoln, above all, as the president who freed the slaves. Immortalized as the "Great Emancipator," he is widely regarded as a champion of black freedom who supported social equality of the races, and who fought the American Civil War (1861-1865) to free the slaves.

While it is true that Lincoln regarded slavery as an evil and harmful institution, it is also true, as this paper will show, that he shared the conviction of most Americans of his time, and of many prominent statesmen before and after him, that blacks could not be assimilated into white society. He rejected the notion of social equality of the races, and held to the view that blacks should be resettled abroad. As President, he supported projects to remove blacks from the United States.

~ Robert Morgan, "Abraham Lincoln's Program of Black Resettlement," The Journal of Historical Review, Sept.-Oct. 1993 (Vol. 13, No. 5), pages 4-25

Abraham Lincoln
1867