Lincoln's Slow Evolution

The real Lincoln was more pragmatic than saintly. In 1858, he stated publicly: "I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about the social and political equality of the white and Black races." He evolved — but he started far from where the myth places him.

He was also a wartime president with unprecedented powers. He suspended habeas corpus, jailed Confederate sympathizers without trial, and took executive actions that would be considered authoritarian in peacetime. History judged him favorably because he won. A losing version of Lincoln would be remembered very differently.