Indeed? Reading that, one almost has the impression that you believe AL found slavery morally reprehensible aside from the fact that he thought it a darned bad deal for the white race to have to live in the same country with them, free or not.

I personally think AL was a magnificent specimen of that species generally referred to as "politicians". But, I do agree with you that slavery was "an" issue and that it is a grave error to deny that slavery had anything to do with the problems. I just think the underlying reasons that the peculiar institution was a problem are too often misrepresented. When we say today that slavery is morally wrong, we usually mean racial inequality is wrong. I don't think Lincoln thought that and neither did the great majority of people North or South in his day.

The issue of slavery and abolition is too often interpreted differently than how it was and is overly emphasized, IMO. So, it's refreshing to hear you reference the fact that most antislavery attitudes resulted from questions of how slavery (which many saw as costless when it was anything but) negatively affected white labor and jobs.

Sorry Craig, but you've never convinced me that underlying all that talk about slavery was the very real and long-standing disagreement over state sovereignty and the original intent of the U.S. Constitution. I think slavery was often used as a kind of "short-hand" (i.e. understood to be about) these greater very real, but more abstract issues. Not always, but often enough to be notable.

Anyway, it's the wee hours here and my night's sleep looks to be almost nonexistent at this point. Nice talkin' to ya.

Regards,
Penny