“I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will for ever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.”
“America was made for the white people and not for the Negroes”
“What I would most desire would be the separation of the white and black races,”
“I understand a proposed amendment to the Constitution – which amendment, however, I have not seen – has passed Congress to the effect that the Federal Government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States, including that of persons held to service . . . . [H]olding such a provision to now be implied constitutional law, I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable”
Much as I hate slavery, I would consent to the extension of it rather than see the Union dissolved, just as I would consent to any GREAT evil, to avoid a GREATER one. (Peoria, 1854)
I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so. (Inaugural Address, March, 1861)
My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery. (From an 1862 letter to Horace Greeley, written during the Civil War)
There is a natural disgust in the minds of nearly all white people, to the idea of an indiscriminate amalgamation of the white and black races….A separation of the races is the only perfect preventive of amalgamation….Such separation, if ever affected at all, must be affected by colonization….I am not in favor of Negro citizenship…. (The Lincoln-Douglas debates, Springfield, IL, June 22, 1857)
Negro equality! Fudge!! How long, in the government of a God great enough to make and maintain this universe, shall there continue knaves to vend, and fools to gulp, so low a piece of demagoguism as this? (From Fragments: Notes for Speeches, September, 1859)
The power of an Illusion was definitely eye oneinpg. When Professor Cooperman asked who I was most similar to, I immediately thought who else was Asian in the room seeing it was the most logical thing to think about. However, the video we saw in class proved otherwise. What was extremely intriguing was the fact that people of different races were genetically similar with people who may be completely different (physical feature-wise). This did help me understand that our concept of race is purely physical and not biological and these are fairly recent variations.