Abraham Lincoln's Views on Slavery and the 13th Amendment

Lincoln's Evolution on Slavery

• Lincoln believed the Founding Fathers intended for slavery to end gradually, likening it to a cancer that couldn't be removed overnight.
• Initially advocated for gradual change, but the Civil War shifted his stance to immediate action.

Emancipation Proclamation and the Need for the 13th Amendment

• Mary Frances Berry: Emancipation Proclamation was a war measure, not legal after the war ended.
• Caroline E. Janney: Necessity of the 13th Amendment to constitutionally abolish slavery.
• Edna Green Medford: 4 million enslaved people needed constitutional protection to prevent re-establishment of slavery.

Lincoln's Personal and National Challenges

• Experienced loss and witnessed war's devastation, affecting his presidency.
• Christy Coleman: Lincoln's personal loss (e.g., death of his son Willie) and the war's toll.
• Allen C. Guelzo: Lincoln consoled families, the burden reflected in his appearance.
• Barack Obama: Lincoln's aging due to stress and burden of the presidency.

Lincoln's Spiritual and Moral Struggles

• Harold Holzer: Lincoln grappled with divine will and moral justification for war.
• Never joined organized religion but believed in a higher purpose.

The Second Inaugural Address

• Lincoln framed the Civil War as a moral struggle to end slavery, not just save the Union.
• Mary Frances Berry: Clarified the war's purpose to free slaves permanently.
• Allen C. Guelzo: Douglass and John Wilkes Booth present at the inaugural address.

Lincoln's Vision for America

• Barack Obama: Lincoln's certainty of the righteousness of the struggle.
• Emphasized a need for moral change and redefining America's principles.
• "With malice toward none, with charity for all" - a call for national healing and lasting peace.