"They would delight a convocation of crowned heads, plotting against the people."

AS was mentioned in today's class, it's tough to put a finger upon Lincoln's true feelings towards African-Americans, and tonight's assigned readings (in my view) did nothing to clarify the matter.

Consider first his efforts to draw a clear distinction between the Democratic and Republican parties. The former, says Lincoln, sees nothing inherently wrong with the practice of slavery, while the latter does, and seeks to abolish -- or at the very least limit -- it.

Strong language is employed by Lincoln as he lampoons the Democrats:

They are the van-guard -- the miners, and sappers -- of returning despotism. We must repulse them, or they will subjugate us.

Lofty rhetoric, to be sure. He has a point, however, which he articulates further here:

Turn in whatever way -- whether it come from the mouth of a King, an excuse for enslaving the people of his country, or from the mouth of men of one race as a reason for enslaving the men of another race, it is all the same old serpent, and I hold if that course of argumentation that is made for the purpose of convincing the public mind that we should not care about this, should be granted, it does not stop with the negro. I should like to know if taking this old Declaration of Independence, which declares that all men are equal upon principle and making exceptions to it where it will stop...

Very convincing use of logical reasoning here. But then Abe throws this out there:

I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people...

If that's the way you feel, then I ask you, Mr. Lincoln, if we are to deny the social and political equality of a certain group of people based solely upon predetermined physical attributes (pigment in this case), then what is to stop us from later denying such freedom and equality to another group based upon a different set of physical attributes? Perhaps all men who stand over six feet tall and wear whiskers ought to be denied the opportunity to hold political office, due to the fact that they are too darn scary looking to possibly represent the people in a proper fashion? Where, Mr. Lincoln, will it stop?