The Great Emancipator to Colonizer

[Gary G]

What we all know, but some want to deny:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/9/book-lincoln-sought-to-deport-freed-slaves/

The Great Emancipator was almost the Great Colonizer: Newly released documents show that to a greater degree than historians had previously known, President Lincoln laid the groundwork to ship freed slaves overseas to help prevent racial strife in the U.S.

[williamlayton]

There were several plans to remove slaves to abroad even before Lincoln came into office.
As the abolition movement gained strength, even in the 1840's, there was great concern about what to do with all of these people. No one really wanted them just freed to be delt with here. All could see the logistics nightmare that would arise, not to mention, the inability of being able to deal with the numbers discussed.
It was a real nightmare for all.
Not all were black that they were concerned with. All plans ran aginst the grain of the Constitution.
Blessings

[williamlayton]

Little understood fact---one of the proposals was to create a state out West for them to be re-leased onto.
Blessings

[P.A. Myers]

Gore Vidal's historical novel 'Lincoln' deals with this episode. It was published in 2000 and I remember Vidal commenting on this in a book promotion interview. At that time he referred to Lincoln's proposal as fact. Gore Vidal's interviews have always been unusual, but I wondered why this never got any attention. The critics probably passed it off as fiction, but he was never challenged on this point. He could prove it, so the 'politically correct' literary elite just ignored it. Our heroes often have feet of clay we chose to overlook.

        P.A.

[coyotejoe]

Is that the same Gore Vidal who dubbed Billy The Kid as "The left Handed Gun"? He didn't research that one too well.
But I've always referred to Mr. Lincoln as "The Great Enslaver" since he initiated involuntary conscription into military service. I can't imagine a more heinous form of slavery than to force a man into battle to kill or be killed by people with whom he has no quarrel, who in fact he considers to be his fellow countrymen.

[williamlayton]

Coyote, surely you remember.
Linclon pretty much dropped the idea of recolonizing when he saw the black union troops serveing so well. He said they earned citizenship---we do the same today.
Blessings