Was Abraham Lincoln A Racist?

If you had heard that the man who freed the slaves, Abraham Lincoln, was a racist, would you believe that statement? Historians everywhere have differing opinions on this topic, but based on the extensive amounts of evidence that I have examined, I strongly believe that he was a racist. There are many quotes, articles, and many other forms of evidence that show that he viewed black people to be inferior to white people. Even though he did have these racists beliefs, to many people of his time, including Stephen Douglas, Lincoln was seen as a very passionate abolitionist who was set on freeing the slaves. Even though that was the way that people viewed him, his opinions that he shared with the public were very biased towards the white race. …show more content…
In one debate that he was having against Judge Stephen Douglas in 1858. There are multiple accounts of when Lincoln has stated that he views white people to be superior than black people. Stephen Douglas was very well-known for being strongly against Abraham Lincoln and his views, so naturally, the debate subject was based on the topic of slavery and how they should address the issue. In this debate that occurred in Ottawa, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln stated, “...I, as well as Judge Douglas, am in favor of the race to which I belong, having the superior position.” The definition of racism is, “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one 's own race is superior.” Since he clearly says that he thinks that his race holds a superior position, he is being racist towards any and all other races besides white. Since he believes that black people are inferior to them, he is showing signs of being a white supremacist. A white supremacist is someone who believes that all other races are inferior to white people and that their traits are more dominant than all other races’ traits. White supremacism is a form of racism that Lincoln strongly believes …show more content…
His solution to the problem of people believing they are superior to other races was to segregate them in a larger way, which is an extremely racist way of thinking. The fact that he never stated that he would like, or that it was even possible for the two races to live together in peace shows how he never saw them to be equals. He never intended to simply free the slaves and allow them to live peacefully in the United States. As soon as he would free the slaves, he would immediately separate them and move them again, after being forcefully taken from their