The Evolution of Lincoln
The Evolution of Lincoln
Or
In Praise of Perspicacious Political Pragmatism
Lincoln thinking evolves over time – only ends with JWB’s bullet
Intelligence defined
Principle v. flip flop?
Bob Dole: Politics “art of the possible”
Reagan/Gore/Kerry/Bush
Contrast to Clinton: Evolution response to reason, not polling. Pragmatism in service of ideology v. “triangulation”
Why was Lincoln prone to rethinking?
Eclectic autodidact
Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis
Self-reliance, independence, dealing with reality and shifting opinions. On the frontier, rigid thinking kills: “Mother” nature is red in tooth and claw.
Lincoln a product of time: Racism
Innate white superiority
Did not believe whites and blacks could live together (American Colonization Society)
Note: Review that one can be both racist and anti-slavery.
Fears, like Jefferson, violent changes in white culture.
Political party: Whigs
National improvements
Free land for free men
Annoyed by power of Slavocracy
Mexican-American War
Spot resolutions
Lesson learned: Idealism loses; pragmatic approach required
Whigs “founder on rock of slavery”
Conscience Whig
Pragmatic respect for utility of Constitution
Balance with anti-slavery beliefs
Accepts state slavery as pragmatically protected by instrument of government, but opposes expansion.
Three types of precedent to block territorial expansion:
Governmental theory – Confederation power increased by Constitution
Precedent – Northwest Ordinance by Confed, followed by Const. Government
Textual – “All cases whatsoever”
Pragmatic balance
Republican party at Ripon
Lincoln likes pro-improvement, anti-slavery, ignores Know-nothing faction
Douglas debates
Autodidact wins! Freeport doctrine. Rhetoric.
Convention at Chicago:
Pragmatic maneuvering (exploits perceived moderation of constitutional acceptance vs. Seward’s “Higher Law”, anti-immigrant posture of Chase, Stanton
Situation 1860
Southern rebellion
Border restlessness
Republican rabidity
Inauguration speech: Leaving state slavery alone (how used by states’ rights proponents)
Pragmatic analysis
Fremont: First crisis of military emancipation
Lincoln’s pragmatic analysis, forced to override (how used by states’ rights proponents)
Tueting cartoon
Leased Rabid dog of the radicals (Stevens, Sumner, Douglass, Fremont)
Cliff of defeat
“People” as a mule bearing the bridge to victory
Leprechaun holding back mule
Carrots of union and compensation
Lincoln restraining dog, pulling mule
Seward and Lincoln: Article II powers pragmatically acquired
Emancipation Proclamation
Foreign policy
Border states
Irish (Oops!)
Lincoln wants to solidify executive order with Amendment, but has to delay
Compensated emancipation ploy in border states
Frederick Douglass
Shifts Lincoln on racial equality: Lincoln struck by intelligence and erudition.
Nature v. nurture?
Douglass representative or anomalous?
Black troops
Pragmatism:
Pay
Volunteer officers only
Employment
Eventually rectified (as planned)
Lincoln sees Douglass’ point about earning freedom, changing minds of white soldiers.
Still unsure about equality, but a useful fiction, having abandoned resettlement as impractical.
Reconstruction
Sea Islands
Rehearsal for Reconstruction
13th Amendment
Radicals: State suicide theory.
Lincoln: No secession, states must acquiesce to passage of Amendment
Reconstruction plans:
Reconciliation
Political representation
Freedmen
Economy
Almost insoluble… BUT if anyone could Lincoln could (review political mastery)
Assassination = Radical, punitive reconstruction.
Great “What if?” of history.