History Research Paper - Lincoln and Zinn's Point of View about Essay

History Research Paper - Lincoln and Zinn's Point of View about Slavery - Essay Example Lincoln lived at central Illinois until he became the United States president in the year 1861. At the time of his birth, more than one fifth of the population of Kentucky consisted of slaves. Most of these slaves worked on the Ohio River or on small farms. At this time, Kentucky was a significant crossroads of the slave trade. Lincolns’ farm was located along the road connecting Nashville and Louisville, along which peddlers, slaves and settlers regularly passed. Therefore, he grew up in an environment where slavery existed and where racism and all forms of antislavery sentiments thrived. It is since this time that Lincoln developed a negative attitude towards slaves. He pointed out that he is naturally anti-slavery. He argued that if slavery is not wrong as proclaimed by other people, then there was nothing wrong in the entire world. When he grew up and became a famous politician in Illinois, the collective experiences of his life contributed to his occasional critic of slav ery. Lincoln’s real encounter with slavery was in the year 1828 and 1831 when he assisted in transporting farm products for sale in the area of New Orleans. Their trip clearly showed the division that existed between slaves and those societies which are free. There were various economic activities taking place in the entire region. The slave system of trade was on the rise since people needed them to work in plantations. The clash between the societies due to slave and free labor dominated the American life and this extremely shaped Abraham Lincoln’s political career. Lincoln was not happy when the Congress passed the Kansas Nebraska Act in the year 1854. By passing this legislation, there was a possibility of increasing slavery in the lands where it had been discouraged. Lincoln considered the legislation immoral. He held the view that America’s founders through their efforts to stop slavery had prevented its spread to other regions. Stephen Douglas who was a D emocratic Senator had sponsored this act which did not go on well with Lincoln (Holzer 57). In his speech in acceptance of the senatorial nomination on 16th June 1858, he pointed out that Douglas, Franklin Pierce (a former president), and Chief Justice Taney Roger among others had agreed to nationalize slavery. In his speech, he also pointed out that their country would become all slaves if they are not careful with the decisions of a few individuals. He urged his listeners to fight it since if they are divided then they could not win the war against slavery. In 1830s, Joshua Speed and Lincoln met in Springfield, Illinois. Even though, they separated when Speed returned to Kentucky which was his native land, they remained close friends throughout life. Lincoln differed with Speed concerning slavery even though Speed had been brought up on a plantation with slaves. They communicated on several occasions and in his letter to Speed in the year 1855, Lincoln pointed out several reasons to why he disliked slavery. He was responding to Speed’s letter of 22nd May 1855. He reminds Speed of their trip from Louisville to Ohio in the year 1841, when there were a dozen of slaves on board. He points out that that sight was a torment to him, and he always sees something of the same kind when he goes to Ohio and any other slave border. Slavery makes Lincoln miserable, and he can not afford to avoid rebuking it in the strongest