abraham lincoln
Prince Kabadeh
History
Mrs. Lowe
10/21/14
The Fiery Trail
In The Fiery Trail Mr. Foner the author has worked hard at making "white of black and black of white." He has made the "Great Emancipator" into the "Great Enslaver" while accusing him of "ethnic cleansing." According to Foner, "If Lincoln had had his way; there would be no Blacks in America. "Lincoln's real purpose as president was not to free the slaves, but to prolong slavery until he could put a plan in place to deport all Blacks to a foreign shore. Foner writes: "[Lincoln] did everything he could to deport Blacks and to make America a Great White Place."( Pg 22)
Sound strange? It is. But, to his credit, Mr. Foner does not claim his book as history. He does not even claim it is historical biography. He describes it as a "political" history, and indeed it is -- a "politically correct" history (Pg 88). By selecting Lincoln's words carefully and placing his own interpretation on their meaning, Mr. Foner is able to weave an ugly view of Abraham Lincoln that turns history on its ear and furthers the latest revisionist theory that the slaves freed themselves.
Foner begins his book with the notion that Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave and that Lincoln deliberately exempted slaves in those areas under Union control to keep slavery alive as long as possible. According to Foner, Lincoln used his proclamation to forestall the liberating effects of the First and Second Confiscation Acts which Foner believes would have freed the slaves before Lincoln interfered by issuing his ineffective proclamation. Behind this deliberate delay, is Lincoln's insidious scheme to deport Blacks.
Foner is correct in concluding that the Emancipation Proclamation freed few if any slaves. But Foner misses the point. The Declaration of Independence didn't free a single American. It took a war to do that. But the Declaration of Independence established the
History
Mrs. Lowe
10/21/14
The Fiery Trail
In The Fiery Trail Mr. Foner the author has worked hard at making "white of black and black of white." He has made the "Great Emancipator" into the "Great Enslaver" while accusing him of "ethnic cleansing." According to Foner, "If Lincoln had had his way; there would be no Blacks in America. "Lincoln's real purpose as president was not to free the slaves, but to prolong slavery until he could put a plan in place to deport all Blacks to a foreign shore. Foner writes: "[Lincoln] did everything he could to deport Blacks and to make America a Great White Place."( Pg 22)
Sound strange? It is. But, to his credit, Mr. Foner does not claim his book as history. He does not even claim it is historical biography. He describes it as a "political" history, and indeed it is -- a "politically correct" history (Pg 88). By selecting Lincoln's words carefully and placing his own interpretation on their meaning, Mr. Foner is able to weave an ugly view of Abraham Lincoln that turns history on its ear and furthers the latest revisionist theory that the slaves freed themselves.
Foner begins his book with the notion that Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave and that Lincoln deliberately exempted slaves in those areas under Union control to keep slavery alive as long as possible. According to Foner, Lincoln used his proclamation to forestall the liberating effects of the First and Second Confiscation Acts which Foner believes would have freed the slaves before Lincoln interfered by issuing his ineffective proclamation. Behind this deliberate delay, is Lincoln's insidious scheme to deport Blacks.
Foner is correct in concluding that the Emancipation Proclamation freed few if any slaves. But Foner misses the point. The Declaration of Independence didn't free a single American. It took a war to do that. But the Declaration of Independence established the