b'HISTORYLincoln Was No EmancipatorO fthemillionswhoawaitedAbrahamLincoln\'s"Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss, butLongIsland,onAugust20issuedarejectionof words upon his taking office on March 4, 1861,this physical difference is a great disadvantage to usLincoln\'scolonizationproposal.LincolnRepliedto nogroupexceededtheNegroinhopefulanxiety.both, as I think your race suffers very greatly,manythe committee by stating that the dispute between And after the incoming President had delivered hisof them by living among us, while ours suffer fromtheNorthandtheSouthwasnotovertheexten-inaugural address, no group exceeded the Negro inyourpresence.Completeseparationoftheracessionofslavery."Wedidn\'tgointothewartoput disappointment.was the only solution."down slavery but to put the flag back," he said on As the weekly, The Anglo-African, expressed it, "We"There is an unwillingness on the part of our peo- Sept.13,1862.gather no comfort from the inauguration of Abrahample, harsh as it may be, for you free colored peopleLaterthatyearLincolnsaidinanannualmes-Lincoln."InthisfirstofLincoln\'sstatepapersheto remain with us. I do not propose to discuss this,sage that "In a certain sense the liberation of slaves repeated that he had no intention of interfering withbut to propose it as a fact with which we have tois the destruction of propertyproperty acquired slavery.Healsofavoredtheproposedamendmentdeal. I cannot alter it if I would. it is better for usby descent or by purchase, the same as any other denying Congress the right to touch slavery in theboth, therefore to be separated."property." states. The inaugural address made it clear that theLincoln urged the Negroes to recruit 25, 50, or 100TheFugitiveSlaveLawcameundertheUnion Fugitive Slave Law would be enforced. blackfamiliesforcolonizationinCentralAmerica,flag, theSecretaries of War and Navy couldn\'t get As a member of the American Colonization Society,where they could find work in the new coal minesany advice from the Secretary of State, who seemed onAugust14,1862,PresidentLincolnmetwithbeingdevelopedthere.Hepromisedthemgovern- tofeelthatifnoonetalksabouttheproblem,it five black men from the District of Columbia. Thementassistance.Thedelegationwithdrew,tellingmight solve itself. This "look the other way" policy, PresidenttoldhislistenersthatthebroadracialLincolnthattheywouldhavetothinkthematterof Lincoln\'s Cabinet, left things in the hands of the differencesbetweenNegroandCaucasianmadeover before replying. itimpossibleforthemtolivetogetherasequals.A large group of Black men that met in Newtown,Continued on Page 1812 NOVEMBER 2020 BOCNEWS.com'