If Lincoln had not died

[Liz Rosenthal]

It was suggested that we don't have any significant racism anymore because we've got a black president and because we've had some black cabinet members. Please spare us the Fox News talking points! In my life, and I live in the Northeast, I've seen and heard racist things from friends, loved ones, fellow students and near-strangers for as long as long as I can remember. The racism in our recent political discourse was more than just a few "code words." What we've had are code statements, code paragraphs, code diatribes. Since Obama has been elected, racism has actually become much more openly expressed - the reaction by a very large segment of the white population to having a black president, with said reaction being aided and abetted by numerous, amoral media types.

By the way, as a Jewish person, I wouldn't give any credit to Jefferson Davis for having a Jewish cabinet member in his cabinet. He was still objectionable. (Anyway, as was pointed out, Judah Benjamin did convert to Christianity.)

Regarding what Lincoln may have done to assist the freedmen once the war was over is hard to say, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have opposed the 15th Amendment affording them the right to vote, as Andrew Johnson had done. However, as I was just remarking to my husband today, one big reason why Lincoln had been in favor of gradual, compensated emancipation for so long was his concern for what would become of the former slaves. He hoped to see former slaves and former owners "grow out of" their former relations and into new ones. But the tide of history wasn't interested in waiting for this sort of solution.