In Natural Rights, Citizenship Rights, State rights, and Black Rights: Another Look at Lincoln and Race James Oakes argues that although Lincoln did change his position on slavery during the Lincoln - Douglas debates, he ultimately thought of slavery and race as two separate factors in his egalitarian view of the matter. Oakes begins with the comment that Douglas began to complain because “Lincoln tailored his views ‘for political’ effect,” something that although most Lincoln scholars will not outright admit, Foner does agree with. The essay then goes on to mention that Lincoln does not see race and slavery as connected and would rather disconnect and then tackle separately. Lincoln wants the United States to get rid of slavery and concludes
