posted on Jun, 28 2005 @ 06:28 AM
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that he feels that though there is a large time between their lives, he is very similar to President Abraham
Lincoln. He however stated that Lincoln's historical image as "The Great Emancipator" is inaccurate, and that the Emancipation Proclaimation is
greatly misunderstood by the modern civil rights movement.
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"In Lincoln's rise from poverty, his ultimate mastery of language and law, his capacity to overcome personal loss and remain determined in the face
of repeated defeat - in all this, he reminded me not just of my own struggles. He also reminded me of a larger, fundamental element of American life -
the enduring belief that we can constantly remake ourselves to fit our larger dreams," Obama wrote in a package dubbed 'Uncovering the Real Abe
Lincoln,' on newsstands Monday.
Obama, a Chicago Democrat who is just the fifth black senator in U.S. history, also raised questions about Lincoln's role in ending slavery.
"I cannot swallow whole the view of Lincoln as the Great Emancipator," Obama said. "As a law professor and civil rights lawyer and as an
African-American, I am fully aware of his limited views on race. Anyone who actually reads the Emancipation Proclamation knows it was more a military
document than a clarion call for justice."
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I wholly agree with Obama on the point of Lincoln's purpose for the Emancipation Proclaimation, but I doubt that Lincoln should be a hyped as he is
made to be these days. Yes, he was our leader during a civil war, but in order to secure the nation he threw out the Constitution to do so. There was
no place in the Constitution that stated that a state could not withdraw from the Union.
Lincoln also did not wish for the Proclaimation to become a major civil rights document. It was more of a military document, so as to increase his
recruiting pool and generate support from another demographic of the population. This is very similar to what happened after the Patriot Act was
passed. We all thought it was good, because it was said to be used to protect us and our rights. However, it in turn stripped us of many basic
freedoms and has become a legendary piece of intrusive legislation.