Lincoln was not our greatest president, unless you consider one who tramples upon the Constitution to be great. He did not "free any slaves" either. The Emancipation Proclamation was a mere political gesture that freed no one. Moreover, according to his own words, Lincoln would have even tolerated slavery to preserve his union and forward his political agenda. Lastly, Lincoln did not preserve the views of the Founders. Rather, he dismantled the constitutional system of our Founding and tread upon the ideas that fueled our Revolution.
Sadly, the record on Abe is not an honest one. To the victor belongs the spoils, and the victory of the federal state allows for state-glorifying revisionist history to be the norm. States' rights are bad; Lincoln is good. We all know the drill. I heard all the official lines myself. As a child Lincoln was my hero; that is long behind me.
The more I learned about the man, the less respect I had for him.
What is true of Lincoln is this: he did not respect liberty. He instituted blockades against the South (think sanctions), suspended the writ of habeas corpus even in lands far from the battle field, executed Southern sympathizers merely for their political sympathies, used to power of the state to fend off political opponents, spent money without congressional appropriation, imprisoned anywhere from 15,000-18,000 people without trial for sympathizing with the Southern cause, illegally went through citizens' mail, and implemented a host of other anti-liberty policies.
Lincoln should not be revered he should be looked at for what he was--a tyrant. As a lover of liberty, I am completely against the idea of slavery. Likewise, as a lover of liberty, I am completely against President Lincoln and his policies of despotism. So should you be.
PS: I would recommend Tom DiLorenzo as a great source to dispel Lincoln myths. Look him up; you'll be glad you did.
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