skott wrote:
The problem is both liberal and conservative are comparative terms. The founders were liberal compared to the Torres. They tend to be more conservative compared to modern Americans. During the civil war, which was fought over slavery, the southerners were the conservatives. Lincoln was more liberal. He gave the greatest redistribution of wealth that this country has ever seen. He freed the slaves, without writing a law or congress passing one, he just proclaimed it.
The Tories were by and large not slave owners. As for the Founders, 27 of the original 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention were slave owners, 9 from Northern States.
Lincoln did not free a single slave. Not one. His "Emancipation Proclamation" of 1863 purported to free slaves in the rebellious Southern states. In reality, it was simply ignored. There was even an exemption for the area around New Orleans, which at that time was under Union control, and contained slave owning Union sympathizers.
You are talking about the Lincoln who stated in his pre-election debate with his opponent, Douglas, that he "in no way favored equality for the Negro." Matter of fact, he stated, trying to avoid war, that he had no intention of abolishing slavery. After hostilities had commenced, he said in a letter to Horace Greeley, then editor of the NY Times, (of "Go west, young man," fame ), that his intent was to preserve the Union. He stated that whether that meant a continuance of slavery, abolishing it, or a partial abolition, he would do whatever necessary.
You might wish to note that while the Proclamation was written in 1863, Slavery was still legal in KY, W VA, MD, and NJ. It remained so until 1865, after Lincoln's death, when the 13th Amendment was ratified.
You may also wish to note that less than 5% of Southern soldiers during the war were slave owners. Robert E Lee, Commander of the Confederate Army, had freed his slaves, whom he only owned by virtue of marriage. He never purchased any, and freed them, sensibly, after making sure they had some way to make a living. Contrast Ulysses S. Grant, Union commander, whose wife owned four slaves until the day the 13th Amendment was ratified, and who said if he had thought the war about slavery, he would have fought for the South.