President Lincoln and the Homestead Act

[David Lockmiller]

The Editorial Board of the New York Times wrote in the “Editor’s letter” of its extended opinion titled “The American We Need,” published in today’s (April 19, 2020) edition:

“[A]s our introductory editorial argues, this pandemic offers the same opportunity that Americans have seized during past crises: To recognize national priorities and set to work again creating a more perfect union. We’re launching this initiative in hopes of supporting that national instinct.

In one particular paragraph of the referenced introductory editorial, the Editorial Board implied that President Abraham Lincoln was himself a hypocrite in signing the Homestead Act in 1862:

The purpose of the federal government, Lincoln wrote to Congress on July 4, 1861, was “to elevate the condition of men, to lift artificial burdens from all shoulders, and to give everyone an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life.” The Homestead Act in particular was a concrete step in that direction: 10 percent of all the land in the United States was ultimately distributed in 160-acre chunks. But Lincoln’s conception of “everyone” did not include everyone: The Homestead Act rested on the expropriation of Native American lands.

For the Editorial Board of the New York Times to attack the character and reputation of President Abraham Lincoln in this manner is beyond my comprehension.