Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States is remembered in so called Black History as the one who emancipated (freed) the slaves. The truth of the matter is that Abraham Lincoln was not looking for the welfare of our people. From examining some of his speeches we will easily come to this conclusion. The one we should give our praise to is the most High who removed the physical shackles from us and freed our spirits in truth.
“While I was at the hotel to-day, an elderly gentleman called upon me to know whether I was really in favor of producing perfect equality between the Negroes and White people. While I had not proposed to myself on this occasion to say much on that subject, yet as the question was asked me, I thought I would occupy perhaps five minutes in saying something in regard to it. 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…” Abraham Lincoln, September 18, 1858
“I have never manifested any impatience with the necessities that spring from the actual presence of black people amongst us, and the actual existence of slavery amongst us where it does already exist…” Abraham Lincoln, Octosber 7, 1858.
“Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States that by the accession of a Republican Administration their property and their peace and personal security are to be endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension. Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed and been open to their inspection. It is found in nearly all the published speeches of him who now addresses you. I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.” Abraham Lincoln, First inaugural address, March 4, 1861.
This is an unknown fact to the masses of our people; shocking as the above speeches may seem. The simple truth concerning the Emancipation Proclamation is that it was signed as a wartime measure. Initially the Proclamation was written to warn Confederate states that if they do not surrender by January 1, 1863 their slaves would be freed. Finally when it was declared, the Proclamation would weaken the Confederacy in abolishing their economy which would have made them the fourth richest country in the world. The financing of the war relied greatly on slave labor. When blockades prevented their gains it caused a shortage of supplies. The Southern states relied on slave labor to maintain a working society and for a variety of roles to help the war (building fortifications, blacksmiths, armories, nurses, etc...). Those who were previously slaves now could be possible volunteers for the Union forces.
Moreover the proclamation only freed the slaves in areas of the Confederacy as those areas came under control of Union forces. In states that still allowed slavery but had remained loyal to the Union, slaves were not freed. States such as Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri continued to be slave states since the “Emancipation” did not apply to them. It is a known fact that the war was not to abolish slavery but it was a measure to gain economic and political power.
These facts remind us that the prophecies of God are true. Deuteronomy 28:29 “And thou shalt grope [searching blindly for the way] at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.” The light shouldn’t become darkness to us through our disbelief. At noonday which is when the sun is the hottest and the light is brightest, we shouldn’t stumble like the blind. What we should easily see is that no man would be able to save us from the conditions of oppression. Instead we will continue suffering the curses and be prevented from prospering. Our hope for true freedom could only be given by God; he is the one that will save us according to his prophecies. 1st Esdras 4:62 “And they praised the God of their fathers, because he had given them freedom and liberty”
Today’s majority would reject the light because they love darkness (sin). Their reasoning would be that this must have been Lincoln’s sentiments before the Emancipation Proclamation which was written in September 22, 1862. However, a month before he stated in a letter to Horace Greeley: “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy Slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that. What I do about Slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save this Union, and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause.” Abraham Lincoln, August 22, 1862.
After the emancipation of proclamation his sentiment remained the same that equality among whites and blacks is not possible. In an alleged message to Congress according to Thomas Dixon: “I have urged the colonization of the Negroes, and I shall continue until it is accomplished. My Emancipation Proclamation was linked with this plan ... I can conceive of no greater calamity than the assimilation of the Negro into our social and political life as our equal ... We can never attain the ideal union our Fathers dreamed, with millions of an alien, inferior race among us, whose assimilation is neither possible nor desirable.” Citation from the book named “The Clansman: an historical romance of the Ku Klux Klan”, 1905.
Whether this last speech in this book is fictional or not we could not verify. Howbeit, as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Most historians confirm that the majority of the political career of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated to the advancing of colonization. The sentiment of the Ku Klux Klan was the same as that of Abraham Lincoln, who revealed his plans of colonization before the Emancipation and then put it into affect after signing it. The covered up history of Lincoln’s failure to colonize former slaves to work on a cotton plantation (Île à Vache proposal) is an attempt to hide his white supremacist views.
In school systems of the United States the true views of Abraham Lincoln are not taught. They have glorified him as a champion of liberty and equality. Almost as the one that fulfilled the words of the Declaration of Independence that said “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Those words were quoted so often by slaves who saw the obvious contradiction and hypocrisy by the men who wrote it and owned slaves. Yet the slaves quoted it hoping that one day it would become true for them. Those dreams were visibly shattered immediately once his true intent for “emancipating” was known to them.
John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the TRUTH shall make you free.” Freedom for the children of Israel (the slaves that were labeled as so called Negroes or Native American Indians) will only come through the truth. By learning the truth we see the subtlety that was used to hide this history. The truth will awaken us to realize that we have been subdued to another form of slavery. Again many of our own people will disagree and state that they are not in slavery. The same things were said to Christ when he told his people that he would make them free through the truth. John 8:33 “They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage [slavery] to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?”
Today evidence (the colonization of the slaves) has already been shown through Abraham Lincoln’s documented speeches. However, like Christ, our response to those that deny that they are in modern day slavery will be with truth which no person can resist. Psalms 25:5 “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” Our goal is that you will put your hope in God and not in man. If you do, your expectations that are according to his gospel (good news) will not fail you. Psalms 33:4 “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.”
If Abraham Lincoln’s desire was truly to give freedom to the slaves he would have done it according to the truth that is in the word of God. Over 200 years of hard bondage (slavery) had already affected the spiritual wellbeing of the children of Israel. Causing them to be destroyed; Deuteronomy 28:48 “Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.”
Those that were brought up under the conditions of harsh slavery wearing shackles and yokes of iron had no choice but to rely on their masters for everything (food, clothing, shelter, etc...). When they heard the Proclamation of Emancipation in the plantations initially they rejoiced. Until reality set in and they realized that they had nothing to survive on their own. According to the word of God, when slaves are released and given their freedom they are supposed to be sent out with substance. Deuteronomy 15:13 “And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:” Verse 14: “Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.”
Our people felt powerless, with little choice of what they could do. If they decided to leave the plantation they would be sent out empty handed. Sometimes if they left they were brought back by the sheriffs. Jeremiah 34:17 “Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, everyone to his brother, and every man to his neighbour…” In the past there were others that proclaimed liberty like Abraham Lincoln. The results were that they will no longer have to supervise with brutality (overseer with whips). Invest money to sell and buy high priced slaves in auctions or worry about runaway slaves anymore. This is depicted in the oval pictures that were included in a reproduction of the Emancipation of Proclamation.
Jeremiah 34:11 “But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.” They caused the people to return to the fields with sharecropping or peonage. Thus they continued as their servants in the same poverty and oppression that they previously had. As the document shows in the oval pictures; it was planned already that you will continue working the fields. The difference is that this time you will be voluntarily doing it without an overseer. Your motivation is the false sense of hope in getting wealth but you will continue always in debt and poverty. Proverbs 22:7 “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” Your educators (in religion, language, business, etc...) will continue to be those that originally oppressed you therefore you will be taught lies. Also you will be allowed to travel to support the industrial growth of the United States. Hence you are bound to service for the rest of your life. There was no Jubilee like the one found in the laws of God that command for the end of oppression.
Note: Peonage is a type of involuntary servitude of laborers having little control over their employment conditions. Whites used the “Black Codes” or “Jim Crow Laws” and other systems such as debt to gain FORCED labor after slavery was supposedly abolished.
Although the conditions of sharecroppers were not the best, one would imagine that the (hard bondage) horror of being chained and whipped would be over. Just like many returned to the fields to serve their former masters, some returned to shackles and whippings and involuntary work. In 1865 during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, the thirteenth amendment was added which states “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
This amendment confirms that you could impose slavery and its conditions while declaring freedom. You are free to be a slave! Daniel 8:25 “And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many:…” The “peaceful” methods that were created by policies (politics) have destroyed our people. Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:..” They are unable to acknowledge the other ways our people are oppressed rather than physical slavery. Some of these peaceful methods were learned while they were slaves. Crafty indoctrination that perpetually is passed down from generation to generation like those of Willie Lynch. An example is the celebration of the massacre of the children of Israel (Native American Indians) called Thanksgiving; this was a policy of Abraham Lincoln. Colonialism (exploitation and domination of territories and people) affects millions of descendants of slaves; all these are done through “peaceful” policies. Inequality could easily be created through policy, an example of this were the Jim Crow Laws that were established.
In 1871, the Virginia Supreme Court declared that prisoners were “slaves of the state”. Whites in the south that were slave owners used the judicial system (judges, sheriffs, etc...) to imprison innocent so called Negroes. This declaration by the Virginia Supreme Court aligned itself with the thirteenth amendment in the constitution as mentioned previously. A common Jim Crow law in most states was vagrancy; if unemployed you could be jailed. Once jailed and found guilty for vagrancy the convict was leased. Since they were not able to pay the fees (to the sheriff, the deputy, the court clerk, etc...) the States are allowed to force them to involuntary servitude or slavery because it is punishment for crime. Therefore a prisoner was contracted to plantation owners or companies that needed laborers. The conditions for the prisoners were no different than slavery. The state or state officials profited by the fees (taxes) paid while the contractors (planters or companies) received cheap labor. Convict leasing is an important part of our history and it could be associated with what is commonly known as chain gang.
Here is an example of the vagrancy law in South Carolina: “In South Carolina persons of color contracting for service were to be known as 'servants’, and those with whom they contracted, as 'masters’. On farms the hours of labor would be from sunrise to sunset daily, except on Sunday. The Negroes were to get out of bed at dawn. Time lost would be deducted from their wages, as would be the cost of food, nursing, etc., during absence from sickness. Absentees on Sunday must return to the plantation by sunset. House servants were to be at call at all hours of the day and night on all days of the week. They must be especially civil and polite to their masters, their masters' families and guests, and they in return would receive 'gentle and kind treatment’. Corporal and other punishment was to be administered only upon order of the district judge or other civil magistrate. A vagrant law of some severity was enacted to keep the Negroes from roaming the roads and living the lives of beggars and thieves.”
The vagrancy laws in Mississippi: “Negroes must make annual contracts for their labor in writing; if they should run away from their tasks, they forfeited their wages for the year. Whenever it was required of them they must present licenses (in a town from the mayor; elsewhere from a member of the board of police) citing their places of residence and authorizing them to work. Fugitives from labor were to be arrested and carried back to their employers. Five dollars a head and mileage would be allowed such Negro catchers. It was made a misdemeanor, punishable with fine or imprisonment, to persuade a freedman to leave his employer, or to feed the runaway. Minors were to be apprenticed, if males until they were twenty-one, if females until eighteen years of age. Such corporal punishment as a father would administer to a child might be inflicted upon apprentices by their masters. Vagrants were to be fined heavily, and if they could not pay the sum, they were to be hired out to service until the claim was satisfied. Negroes might not carry knives or firearms unless they were licensed so to do. It was an offence, to be punished by a fine of $50 and imprisonment for thirty days, to give or sell intoxicating liquors to a Negro. When Negroes could not pay the fines and costs after legal proceedings, they were to be hired at public outcry by the sheriff to the lowest bidder....”
Reviewing this historical information portrays the past in a way that we could analyze how little things have changed. Today many prisons profit from convicts who labor for a few cents an hour. Isaiah 42:22 “But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared [trapped] in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.” It is without contest that the majority in prisons are the children of Israel (so called Blacks and Hispanics).
Another legacy of Abraham Lincoln is the Revenue Act of 1861 that created the first U.S. income tax. When reading the history of the Israelites in the Bible we could easily note that they were punished by God numerous times with slavery. To the point one would have to ask if they are meant to be home born slaves. Jeremiah 2:14 “Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?” Therefore in the Bible we could find true definitions of bondage (slavery). While slavery still exists, even after the so called emancipation and it goes unnoticed. How much more the other forms of bondage have gone unforgotten? In the scriptures we could find an ancient form of slavery that would seem acceptable in comparison to the hard bondage our ancestors suffered on a daily basis.
In ancient times the God of Israel gave them freedom and liberty under the Persian Empire. 1st Esdras 4:49 “Moreover he wrote for all the Jews that went out of his realm up into Jewry, concerning their freedom, that no officer, no ruler, no lieutenant, nor treasurer, should forcibly enter into their doors;” Verse 50: “And that all the country which they hold should be free without tribute; and that the Edomites should give over the villages of the Jews which then they held:” When king Darius the Persian made this declaration none of our forefathers wore yokes of iron, shackles, chains, and etc… Although the conditions were not akin to what today most view as chattel slavery nonetheless they understood that the Jews (Israelites) were not truly free. Besides restoring the land and wealth that was stolen from Jerusalem his decree was that the Jews are to be free without tribute (tax).
During the Greek Empire under the leadership of the Maccabees (a family of Israelite priests) their freedom was confirmed because of their victories. It was said to them, 1st Maccabees 13:39 “As for any oversight or fault committed unto this day, we forgive it, and the crown tax also, which ye owe us: and if there were any other tribute paid in Jerusalem, it shall no more be paid.” If I remember correctly wasn’t the Declaration of Independence from Britain because of taxes? If you are paying taxes you are paying tribute to the conquerors. While they promised you liberty you were actually subdued to carry a perpetual (national) debt. As children of slaves scattered throughout the world a system of inflated loans and taxes keep our people in the same colonial conditions that were established about 500 years ago. As the scriptures have proven inequality and oppression will continue through the policies established long ago and our children will continue to suffer from these conditions. Baruch 3:8 “Behold, we are yet this day in our captivity, where thou hast scattered us, for a reproach and a curse, and to be subject to payments, according to all the iniquities of our fathers, which departed from the Lord our God.”
This is being written not to discourage you but to accept the chastisement and salvation of the most High. The conclusion we should learn from this is that it is better to put trust in the Heavenly Father rather than man. Psalms 146:3 “Put not your trust in princes [leaders], nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.” It is through the Heavenly Father’s prophetic word and his mercy that some compassion is shown to you during the time of affliction. Jeremiah 15:11 “The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.” From this scripture we could see we are not yet out of the evil time or affliction. Psalms 106:45 “And he remembered for them his covenant [agreement], and repented [sorrowed] according to the multitude of his mercies.” Verse 46: “He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives [as slaves].” This mercy has been given to us so that we could return and seek him early. That he might give us the true liberty that is promised in the Bible.
Romans 8:21 “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Verse 24: “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” Verse 25: “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” None of the prophecies of the Heavenly Father has failed and he has shown us that with the captivity that we have suffered. Now we must trust in the Lord and through hope take the steps that lead to being saved.
Therefore from reading these scriptures we must understand that the yoke of iron was removed from our necks not because of the Abolitionists or the Civil Rights movement. We cannot give our praise to Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King or any other, but the Lord. He was the one that put us in captivity and surely he is the one redeeming us! Shalam (Peace)!