posted
February 12th is Lincoln's Birthday. 198 years ago he was born in a log cabin, coincidentally, the same year the slave trade was outlawed by Constitutional mandate. Join me in a special birthday song tribute:
"Upon a February morn A tiny baby boy was born Abraham, Abraham
When he grew up this tiny babe Folks all called him Honest Abe Abraham, Abraham
In eighteen sixty, he became The sixteenth president And now he's in the hall of fame A most respected gent
That's why we celebrate This blessed February date Abraham, Abraham"
"When black folks lived in slavery Who was it set the darkie free? Abraham, Abraham
When trouble came down from the shelf Who's heart was bigger than himself? Abraham, Abraham"
"The country's going to the dogs They shouted loud and long Then from a cabin made out of logs The right man come along
And that is why we celebrate This blessed February date Abraham, Abraham"
"The U.S.A.'s united thanks To one whose name was Nancy Hanks Abraham, Abraham
She gave this land the finest son Who ever went to Washington Abraham, Abraham"
"Someone told him General Grant Was drinking every night He answered, "Go see if you can't Get all my generals tight"
That's why we celebrate This blessed February date Abraham, Abraham
After reading about it a million times in Heinlein's 'Citizen of the Galaxy' I finally got to see the Lincoln Memorial during a whistle-stop trip to Washinton in the summer. I must say the overall impact is somewhat diminished by the quantity of tourists snapping away with their digital camaras.
I was also allowed 30 minutes in the Smithsonian Air & Space museum. Getting up close and personal with the Apollo 11 capsule moved me a great deal more.
Posts: 892 | Registered: Oct 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: February 12th is Lincoln's Birthday. 198 years ago he was born in a log cabin, coincidentally, the same year the slave trade was outlawed by Constitutional mandate.
How'd that work? If the slave trade was outlawed when he was born, what was all the slave stuff about during the Southern War of Independence?
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:How'd that work? If the slave trade was outlawed when he was born, what was all the slave stuff about during the Southern War of Independence?
The African slave trade was outlawed, whereas domestic slavery was not. Slaves and their children could be bought and sold here in the US, but new slaves couldn't be brought over the Atlantic.
posted
Yep. It was meant to be a settlement between those who wanted to outlaw slavery outright when the Constitution was written, and those who wanted it to stay the same. The abolitionists got an end to the slave trade, but it was a useless gesture, at that point there was already enough 'breeding stock,' so to speak, in the US to make the loss of the slave trade nothing more than an inconvenience.
Took us almost 60 more years to go all the way. You could say it began and ended with Lincoln's life.
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