Presidents Day is one of the worst of American holidays. The main premise of the day is to consider sacred and holy the state, dominated by the modern imperial presidency, a presidency that was never meant to be as powerful as it is.
Indeed, it was one of the presidents whom Americans are supposed to worship on Presidents Day, Abraham Lincoln, that created the modern leviathan federal government that dominates Americans' lives, destroying the economy and waging war on the entire planet.
Though Americans are told that Lincoln is the “greatest president,” this statement is highly debatable. There is much myth surrounding “Father Abraham” that began to be propelled shortly after his assassination. For instance, Steven Spielberg’s recent film Lincoln tells the story of how the president supposedly used his political pull to help pass the 13th amendment, all because he believed in equality for all men and wanted to end slavery. The film's premise, based on work by a known plagiarist, Doris Kearns-Goodwin, is completely untrue. There is no historical evidence that Lincoln supported the 13th amendment. Well, that’s not true. It is known that he supported the original version of the 13th amendment, which would have forbidden the federal government from ever interfering with slavery.
The Emancipation Proclamation was nothing more than a political gesture. It didn’t free a single slave, as it only applied to the states in rebellion, not the slave states still in the Union. Lincoln also didn’t intend to let blacks mingle with whites. He intended to ship all freed slaves out of the United States to colonies.
Lincoln was a known and admitted racist. During the fourth Lincoln-Douglass debate, Lincoln had this to say about how he felt about black people:
I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.
Lincoln believed in an all powerful, highly centralized government, which went against the philosophy of this country's founders; a government he ultimately created with the Northern victory over the South. He was by all means a tyrant. During the Civil War, he shut down newspapers that were critical of the war; he committed treason by invading the Southern states; he imprisoned and then deported Ohio Democratic Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham for merely opposing his policies; and he suspended habeas corpus, which can only be done by Congress, as the power is outlined in Article 1 of the Constitution. There are plenty of other crimes Lincoln committed, but they'll have to be omitted for space.
Lincoln was also wrong in his justification for invading the South. The war was not fought over slavery but over “preserving” the Union, despite the states being in their rights to secede. The reason for Southern secession wasn’t even over slavery but over Northern industry taking advantage of the Southern economy, which was still heavily agricultural. This industry essentially controlled Northern politicians, and tariffs, such as the Morrill Tariff, were designed to benefit the North at the disadvantage of Southern agriculture. In his first inaugural address, Lincoln threatened “invasion” and “bloodshed” if the Southern states refused to pay these “duties and imposts.”
Earlier issues of secession had been brought up in American history, such as in the New England states, which had considered secession throughout the early years of the 19th century, most notably during the War of 1812. During the war, the New England states formed the Hartford Convention to consider whether or not to stay in the Union. Obviously they stayed, but "they heartily endorsed states’ rights and nullification," according to History.com. In the post-War of 1812 era, New England abolitionists continued to advocate secession throughout the century.
Secession goes back even further in this country's history. The United States was founded on secession, as the colonies seceded from the British Empire.
Thomas Jefferson defended the right to secede in his first inaugural address as president, saying, “If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left to combat it.”
Jefferson made many other defenses of secession, including in written letters.
Despite all of this, anyone who criticizes Lincoln is accused of being a “neo-Confederate,” a racist and wanting to bring back slavery.
There are other issues over Lincoln that couldn’t be covered here for space. Good sources on this topic are economist Thomas DiLorenzo’s books The Real Lincoln and Lincoln Unmasked.
The modern United States federal government is too large and powerful, and the majority of Americans believe that it is a threat to their freedoms, and secession is even being openly discussed by Americans once again. It was Lincoln, the president Americans are told to worship above all, that created this modern leviathan. And Presidents Day is nothing more than the day to commemorate, more so than other days, the god of the state.
Comments