this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2025
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[–] [email protected] 60 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Lincoln also commuted the sentence of 264 other Dakotans that had to be executed the same day. If he didn't intervene the executions would've been 303

[–] [email protected] 10 points 15 hours ago

Yeah. Cherry-picking can be used for good AND evil.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

So what's the real dirt on Lincoln? Did he snore or something? :P

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 hours ago

Honestly the worst thing Lincoln ever did was choosing Johnson as his VP. Even then, I learned recently that he asked a different (better) guy, Benjamin Butler, to be VP but he turned him down. Had he lived to do Reconstruction, we might have more to critique, certainly he'd have done better than Johnson (not a high bar), but since he died he's off the hook for figuring that one out.

You could also criticize him for not being committed enough to ending slavery from the start. But really, other than the mass hangings of the Dakotas (which could've been worse but was still not great), most criticism of him is just Lost Causers whining about "authoritarianism" by freeing the slaves and expanding the scope and power of the federal government as was necessary to free the slaves.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

It is telling that while you can't think of something cartoonishly evil he did off of the top of your head- you definitely remember that he was assassinated.

Edit: Apparently this edit is required. Whether Lincoln held the mission of abolishing slavery personally or not, he was associated with it. And was shot in cold blood for it. Do something less than the worst thing you could do as president and the American project will answer your arrogance.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

I'm not American, so I don't really know that part of your history.

Edit: he was assassinated for wanting to give black people citizenship is what I'm reading..?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

You are correct. The only other thing that Lincoln is criticized for is suspending habeas corpus during the US civil war. I don’t know what the person you’re commenting on is on about. They may be a confederate sympathizer.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago

How do you read that from what I wrote?

My point was: he attempted or was associated with an attempt to do something less then the worst thing he could. And he was shot for it.