This article, like several we have read in this class, is very interesting because it reveals pieces of history that were untaught, unmentioned, and in some senses swept under the rug. I appreciate Zinn’s mostly unbiased inclusion of all the different factors and discussions that occurred leading up to the abolition of slavery. He thoroughly discussed the country’s reasons for holing onto slavery for so long. When I was growing up I was aware that the south was dependent on human labor for their agriculture however I was not under the impression that the whole country, at least those who were of wealth, were accepting of slavery and the economic profit it brought forth. This is somewhat disturbing to me because human slavery is never justified, and the fact that many more American citizens were ok with slavery, even though they knew it came along with physical punishment and lack of basic human rights. EW.
It was also very interesting to learn more about Abraham Lincoln. Growing up I thought Lincoln was the MAN. He still is in some ways yet learning about how he tiptoed around the wants of the wealthy alters my view of him. In Zinn’s passage, he mentions “Lincoln could argue with lucidity and passion against slavery on moral grounds while acting cautiously in practical politics,”(Zinn 187). While I do understand that he has to be considerate of all opinions of his followers in order to stay in power, this was still eye-opening for me. Maybe it is because I have subconsciously linked the abolition of slavery with Lincoln. I always viewed Lincoln as a freedom fighter, activist, stick it to the mankind of guy, a man with morals he was willing to fight for… Hm.
I also was interested by, though not surprised, by Zinn’s more honest portrayal of Lincoln. My early studies of him painted him as the driver of everything right and moral and good. This more true portrayal shows him to be much more of a modern day politician, thinking about the greater picture of his party and maintaining power opposed to elevating his constituents to a higher moral standard.
I agree about how our history lessons as kids were way more fluffy and not entirely the whole story and that means that now as we read these articles about events that actually happened, it is very shocking and unpleasing because what we know is not true and the people we respect, like Lincoln, weren’t necessarily the people they were shown as.
I agree, when I learned about slavery and the Civil War in high school I had no idea that all wealthy people were supporting slavery. I was taught that every person in the North was fully against slavery, and while that is partly true, there were still people who supported it because it meant that that could make more of a profit.
I agree it is very interesting to see the untold stories of history. It also makes me think about why these details are left out of our history books. They are important. We must know the full history.
I think this relates to the conversation we had in class the other day about what is taught to us in grade school. Obviously, it is a valid point that teaching younger kids every perspective of Lincoln would be overwhelming, and the image of a nice bearded man in a top hat would suffice for this age group. However, to your point, no one ever taught us the less amazing side of Lincoln, or many other political figures from our history for that matter, and this creates a host of problems.
I think that it is truly amazing that we never learned some of these things. While I understand protecting children from some of these details, I cannot believe that high School teachers continue to leave many details out. I do not know if it is because they are uneducated themselves or do not care to teach the real story.
I was also unaware of, but not shocked by, Lincoln’s true behavior and motives. I recall learning in high school that the majority of the South advocated for slavery because of their economy and how this would impact the factories in the North if they could no longer receive the products the South produced like they did before. Lincoln has been idolized and put on a pedestal, earning the nickname “Honest Abe”, but I believe it is important for people to learn about the truth behind his motives.
I am very happy that this is now such common knowledge. There are many things that simply are no taught in school and if discussed could shed a lot of light onto the socialization of people in our country. We have a terrible past but we do not recognize that and talk about it.