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Another interesting thing I came across was a small fragment from presumably a letter. In this letter Lincoln argues that if a man has a right to enslave another then why can the slave not turn around and do the same. He goes on to say if slavery is based on color that cannot any man make a slave of a man of darker complexion. He ends with the view that if slavery is right because of a perceived intellectual superiority of whites then that slave owners should be careful as anyone who was more intelligent might claim the right to enslave them. I include this because it allows us to appreciate Lincoln's wit. We can see that at the time these arguments would appear absurd to slave owners, yet it is really no more absurd that the position of slave owners themselves. .
One of the things that my research did prove was that there was and indeed still is a great deal of contention over this issue. One of the many views of Lincoln, and one which I agree with, is that Lincoln would have traded the freedom of slaves for the quick healing of the wounds between the North and South. This conciliatory attitude can be seen in many of his speeches and letters. He Clearly stated in his First Inaugural Address that he had, "purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists- It is also possible that he was simply waiting for a time when he felt he could actually deal slavery a successful blow. Lincoln made no secret that he believed slavery was wrong and that he did not feel that it could continue in the United States. He made this attitude publicly clear during his famous debates with Stephen Douglas. "A House divided against itself cannot stand. I believe that this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it to cease to be divided.