The Real Lincoln Essay - 1247 Words

Abraham Lincoln’s presidential career was full of questionable actions. Thomas DiLorenzo author of, The Real Lincoln discusses Lincoln’s actions regarding racism, his refusal to emancipate the slaves, his continual tendency to act independently of Congress, and his radical reconstruction after the Civil War. DiLorenzo attacks each of these topics in his book and proves that Lincoln had his own agenda, and was not the picture perfect president everybody thought that he was. The overall theme of chapter two is the opposition that Abraham Lincoln and most Northerners had about racial equality. This theme is made clear very early on in the chapter. Lincoln himself states: â€Å"the best use of the new territories is housing for free white†¦show more content†¦DiLorenzo makes it a point that equality for blacks is none of Lincoln’s concerns. Abraham Lincoln had no clear intentions of emancipating the slaves unless he felt that it was truly necessary for him to do so. For example, look at the expulsion of Union General John Fremont who was in charge of the federal government’s military efforts in Missouri. The Union General created an act on August 30th, 1861 to deter the Confederates from their guerilla warfare. This act granted him Marshall Law throughout the state and gave him the ability to confiscate property and declare slaves â€Å"freemen†. This angered the Commander In-Chief. As a result, Lincoln removed the General’s act and stripped him of his command on November 2nd, 1861. DiLorenzo put great emphasis on the point that Lincoln was not going to willingly emancipate anyone, and most of all, that he would not have anyone under his power doing so either. DiLorenzo also points out that Lincoln only admits any action regarding slavery will take place unless it is done solely to preserve the integrity of the Union. His actions made it evident that Lincoln was now willing to ignore the Constitution and claim more doctorial powers. â€Å"As he stated over and over, his concern with the issue of slavery was motivated by a desire to use the issue to save the Union, which was a euphemistic way of saying that he wanted toShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Real Lincoln615 Words   |  3 PagesProfessor Harling History 132 22 October 2008 Critique on The Real Lincoln â€Å"The Real Lincoln contains undeniable evidence that a more appropriate title for Abraham Lincoln is not the Great Emancipator, but the Great Centralizer.† - Walter E. Williams. This is the book that made it happen: the nationwide revision concerning the man who they tried to tell us was a great liberator. Dictator and slayer of liberty is more like it. Lincoln was not the godlike figure of myth and legend but an unusuallyRead MoreThe Real Lincoln : A New Look At Abraham Lincoln1756 Words   |  8 PagesIn Thomas DiLorenzo’s controversial book, The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War, a new light is shed upon the historic President Lincoln. It challenges ideas and beliefs that students are taught in grade school, and incorporates a new way of thinking. Above all, this book provides insight into the real life of Lincoln, and remains controversial due to its impeding and harsh criticisms. DiLorenzo, an economic historian, is often questioned about his ethicsRead MoreThe Real Lincoln : A New Look At Abraham Lincoln1757 Words   |  8 PagesIn Thomas Dilorenzo’s controversial book, The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War, a new light is shed upon the historic President Lincoln. It challenges ideas and beliefs that students are taught in grade school, and incorporates a new way of thinking. Above all, this book provides insight into the real life of Lincoln, and remains controversial due to its impeding and harsh criticisms. Dilorenzo, an economic historian, is often questioned about his ethicsRead MoreThe Real Lincoln : A New Look At Abraham Lincoln1366 Words   |  6 PagesThe Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War, he reveals the truth about Abraham Lincoln and attempts to get rid of the myths that many have told. He reveals the agenda of Lincoln and the real purpose behind the Civil War. One question that some have is why did it take a war to end slavery? In the book it is stated that, â€Å"dozens of countries†¦ ended slavery peacefully during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries†(x). Many argue the fact that Lincoln wasRead MoreThe Real Lincoln : A New Look At Abraham Lincoln1868 Words   |  8 PagesThe Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War is written by Thomas J. DiLorenzo. He is the professor of economics at Loyola University Maryland and a member of the senior faculty of the Mises Institute . He has received the George F. Koether Free Market Writing Award and his works have been published in the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. He has written another book titled Hamilton s Curse: How Jefferson’s Archenemy Betrayed the American Revolution —Read MoreThe Real Lincoln By Thomas Dilorenzo1966 Words   |  8 PagesIn Thomas DiLorenzo’s book The Real Lincoln, is about giving the people who want to know the real story about the â€Å"greatest† American President. When in fact he was not all that great of a president. People know him as the great emancipator. This is ironic because â€Å"Lincoln barely ever mentioned the issue of slavery before 1854, and, even then, he did not seem sincere† (3). This is what everybody knows Lincoln for is freeing the slaves, but it proves that he is given credit for something he did notRead MoreThe Real Lincoln By Thomas J. A Brief1724 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Real Lincoln written by Thomas J. Dilorenzo published in 2002 gives us details into the Lincoln presidency It shows how Lincoln wanted a more central government he was not a man for all people but for the north. It shows that Lincoln was not the reason for the split in the country but a sense of pride was to blame. He did not support equal rights in slave and white americans. He was for the â€Å" American system† and the expansion of America. Lorenzo is a member of the faculty at Loyola UniversityRead More A Critique of DiLorenzos The Real Lincoln Essay1913 Words   |  8 PagesA Critique of the Real Lincoln The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War, by Thomas J. DiLorenzo completely shatters the illusion of the 16th President as the liberator of the slaves. DiLorenzo provides convincing evidence for Lincoln’s overt racism as expressed in his documented views on racial supremacy as stated in his desire to colonize all American blacks outside the United States (p. 4); Lincoln’s views were matched by the majority in the North whoRead MoreThe Real Lincoln : A New Look At Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, And An Unnecessary War New1379 Words   |  6 PagesDilorenzo, Thomas J. The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War New York: Three Rivers Press. Thomas J. Dilorenzo is the author of the book The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War. Dr. Dilorenzo is an economics professor at the Sellinge School of Business and management, where he published over eleven books. His focus is mostly on economic history and political economics. It became evident to Thomas that the teachingsRead MoreAbraham Lincoln s Political Legacy856 Words   |  4 Pagesthis point was to become an empire under Abraham Lincoln and his business supporters. â€Å"Lincoln’s own Reconstruction ideas made a mockery of democracy (227). â€Å"He believed that at least 10 percent of the southern population probably had Unionist sympathies, and he wanted representatives of that group to be put into place by the Republican Party as the governors, mayors, and local public officials of the Southern states after the war† (227). Abraham Lincoln seems like he is trying to get all the power he