Interpretations of history are an extraordinary glimpse into the changing and enduring contexts of American history. The study of Abraham Lincoln is a case in point, involving distinct racial interpretations. Should he be canonized as the Great Emancipator or relegated to the mortal status of a president “forced into glory”? Many, particularly, white historians disparage any criticism of Lincoln’s racial views and note his evolutionary racial enlightenment. There is the widely held belief that Reconstruction could have been different if Lincoln had lived. So, it is instructive to look at   black judgments of Lincoln.

Professor Allen Guelzo in an opinion piece, “Emancipation Deniers Target Lincoln’s Reputation,” (Feb 12, 2019) attempted to debunk those who criticize Abraham Lincoln’s contribution to black freedom. Mr. Guelzo cited Ebony magazine journalist, Lerone Bennett, Jr.’s book, Forced into Glory and Howard Zinn’s A Peoples History of the United States which discounted Abraham Lincoln’s role in emancipating slaves. Both black writer Bennett and Zinn assigned primary credit to slaves, Frederick Douglass, Wendell Phillips, etc., rather than Lincoln, for ending race-based slavery in America. A debate among historians ensued.     

It is important to ask what blacks think and thought about Lincoln. Fortunately, author Robert Penn Warren in Who Speaks for the Negro (1965) asked black leaders during the Civil Rights era about Lincoln. “I think that Lincoln is vastly overrated, “responded Harlem black congressman Adam Clayton Powell, “I think that he did nothing except what he had to do, and he did it in terms of winning a war.” Roy Wilkins the venerable executive director was more nuanced: “ I have mixed feelings about Lincoln….I think you’d have to judge Lincoln in the context of his climate….I would give him…credit.” On the other hand, Malcolm X thought Lincoln “did more to trick Negroes than any other man in history”. “ “My own opinion,” succinctly stated James Farmer, the founder and national director of the Committee of Racial Equality (CORE),” is that Lincoln was not the Great Emancipator.” 

Martin Luther King, Jr., on several occasions would praise Lincoln for signing the Emancipation Proclamation. 

The eminent black historian John Hope Franklin, in 2007, was interviewed about his views on Lincoln. Franklin recalled general respect and admiration for Lincoln, “the man who freed the slaves” when attending the then racially segregated Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 1930s. As a seasoned historian, he opined on President Lincoln’s priorities:

But freeing the slave was never his primary objective ever, I think. But keeping the Union strong and stable and even together that was what possessed and affected everything that he did say from the late (18)50s to his death.   

Asked by moderator, Kurt Schmoke, if he thought that Reconstruction would have been different if Lincoln had lived, Franklin responded without hesitation, “I doubt it, frankly.”

It is important to note that Lincoln signed an appropriations bill allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars to colonize blacks on an island off Haiti on December 31, 1862 – the day before he signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

This writer firmly believes that Lincoln did save the Union and hasten the ending of race-based slavery. Without Lincoln warts and all, America might catastrophically resemble the debilitating fragmentation of Balkanization. While historians may argue about interpretations, I think the current, past, and changing opinions of the public should be considered.

As such, I recommend a proper poll be undertaken to gauge today’s attitudes about Lincoln. The survey should ask black and other racial/ethnic American students, academics, and adults their thoughts on the Great Emancipator. The poll would not be a popularity contest or an effort to rank presidents. This exercise would be informative and relevant to an understanding of Lincoln’s legacy and the racial divide in America. It would hopefully engage the public reading and discussing complex topics.