Can Lincoln truley be considered "The Great Emancipator?"?

Question

Can Lincoln truley be considered "The Great Emancipator?"?

Answer 1

Lincoln fought for the freedom of the Blacks from slavery and he deserves to be named the "Great Emancipator".

Answer 2

I think so...because he laid the foundation, although African Americans did not and have not achieved true equality in american society due to individuals acts of citizens caught up in their own idea of who is a part of, and how, our society should or should not work.

Without his initial action, we would have had no basis for action in enforcing the rights of African Americans even though they are guaranteed by our constitution.  

Every fundamental change a society goes through starts with one individual who had the strength of character to challenge the establishment.  Washing and Lincoln were two of them.  Without Lincoln's strength of conviction to know that the current conditions of his time were wrong, that  enslaving a sector of the American population was unacceptable, our history as we know it, would not exist.  

I believe, had he lived, our nation would not have had to challenge the establishment and fight for the rights originally established by the Constitution, and reinforced by Lincoln in his Emancipation Proclamation.  

Individual men decided to flaunt their personal power and thumb their noses at the law.  Individual's chose to personally practice prejudice and segregation.  And it was individuals who then rose up and decided to fight the powers that be to reestablish the rights granted by the Constitution and Lincoln.

It is a choice that we make everyday...to do the right thing, or to do the wrong thing...Lincoln make those wrong actions unacceptable, we can choose to continue his legacy, or choose to perpetuate the legacy of the confederacy...it is a personal choice, and when enough people make the personal choice to support the right thing, then we as a society, can make the change.

Answer 3

Yeah...I think so. He didn't do it as willingly as some people would have you believe...but in the end he did do it.

This title was given to him by the African Americans of that time and it's not for us to to second guess them. They had an insight into that condition and that time, that we can never share.

Answer 4

Yes, largely because he signed the "Emancipation Proclamation"

Answer 5

sure, why not?

Answer 6

He certainly can.  He opposed slavery and ended it under his term of office.  Linclon was a great president and don't let any revisionist historians tell you otherwise.

Answer 7

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

I'll give him a break and say yes.  Even though it only applied to states in the war at the time.  So to bad if you were in Kentucky.  And some of the debates leaned more to a neutral stance on the issue.  But  he was first a politician so getting elected was job one.  The courts support slavery, congress was divided and for the voter prior to the war it was not the major issue that it became latter on.

Answer 9

No. The Emancipation Proclamation was a political ruse. It was designed to keep the British out of the war (the Brits opposed slavery, and slavery was a major reason Britain never entered the fight). It was also meant to hurt Southern morale and economy. The proclamation freed only the slaves in states "in rebellion", this did not include Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Delaware, or Maryland. In the areas it did supposedly affect, Lincoln had no way of enforcing it. It would be like the US today telling Iran all their women couldn't wear those veils.

Answer 10

Historically the Emancipation Proclamation was put into law after President Lincoln was assassinated as a tribute to him by Congress.  What Congress did not do was to adopt the companion programs to this law which would have helped those being emancipated, as Lincoln wanted.  This meant that when the EP became law many slaves were just tossed out of their homes without finances, any assistance, or protection.

Answer 11

And a Republican if I remember correctly.

Answer 12

Yeah. This is one thing you can't blame on Bush...