and his belief in what it entails to combat black bondage. In his speech concerning the Dred Scott Decision, Lincoln counters Justice Taney and Stephen Douglas’s argument that the authors of the Declaration of Independence did not mean to include blacks. “I think the authors of that notable instrument intended to include all men, but they did not intend to declare all men equal in all respects. They did not mean to say all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social capacity (Lincoln 1857).” Lincoln argues for the notion that all people should have their basic rights of life, liberty, and property included in the Declaration, not just white men. As he does this, however, Lincoln admits that blacks are not really equal to whites. Amalgamation, or the genetic mixing of the black and white races, was greatly feared by white people at this time. Taney and Douglas believed that by freeing the slaves, amalgamation would occur rampantly across the nation. Lincoln protests this logic stating that it is ridiculous to believe that “because I do not want a black woman for a slave I must necessarily want her for a wife. I need not have her for either, I can just leave her alone. In some respects she certainly is not my equal; but in her natural right to eat the bread she earns with her own hands without asking leave of any one else, she is my equal, and the equal of all others (Lincoln 1857).” Once again, Lincoln takes up for the plight of the slave but admits their inherent social inequality. Today, these remarks seem incredibly racist and unfair, blatantly stating that blacks are not equal to whites, however, in the 1850’s, Lincoln was on the affirmative side of the black rights movement. In the end, Lincoln is remembered for the good things he did for the African-American race and the great strides he made in the area of black advancement. “The Republicans inculcate...
