Lincoln’s Political Courage during the Civil War (960 words)

In the movie ‘Lincoln’ Fernando Wood of NY declares to the House of Representatives that “Congress must never declare equal those whom God created unequal”. The movie also tries to portray the different attitudes towards racial issues. Explore this aspect of the movie. In the spirit of the era, do you think Lincoln displayed tremendous strength of character to support and usher through the 13th Amendment, or do you feel it was a political strategy which he hoped to profit from later? Why do you think he would risk dividing the nation to usher through this Amendment? If you were in his shoes, would you have done the same? What I’m asking is, can we really see Lincoln as ‘the Great Emancipator’ or was he just a good President? How important was emancipation as a moral issue to him?
How have mainstream attitudes towards race changed over time in the US? Reference the current controversy over the remarks of Cliven Bundy and Donald Sterling and the public reaction to their comments.
This is a serious piece of writing, expected to be opinion-driven, but backed up by evidence. You are expected to take the philosophical issues of emancipation and racism seriously and consider them both morally and academically. Do not use phrases like ‘everybody knows’, ‘whites tend to’ or ‘blacks are…’. In other words, no generalizations about races, black or white. Keep your writing clean and let it be a reflection of your academic progress.

Your paper should be at least 3 pages long, double spaced, 12 font, Times New Roman. It can be longer. You only need to cite sources if you consult them. Therefore a bibliography is not necessary. When you use sources whether online or hard copy cite them immediately after you quote or reference them in parentheses.

Political opinion regarding the Southern slaves and the nature of African-Americans in general was sharply divided during the Civil War. Within Lincoln’s party, the Radical Republicans, led by Thaddeus Stevens (R-PA) in the House of Representatives and Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio, demanded the franchise for African-American males immediately after they were freed and the war was won. Lincoln needed to mollify moderate Republicans who believed that newly freed slaves should gradually gain citizenship rights, unlike the Radicals who wanted them instituted the moment they were set free. Lincoln was naturally a moderate....

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