You are right in that Lincoln was no great moral hero. However, your statements are misleading. Regarding the Corwin Amendment: looking back through the lens o

You are right in that Lincoln was no great moral hero. However, your statements are misleading. Regarding the Corwin Amendment: looking back through the lens of history, this seems like a huge deal. At the time, it didn't really matter. No one thought in 1861 that there was a chance of the federal government abolishing slavery by a constitutional amendment, and many politicians (including Lincoln) did not at that time believe that the federal government had the authority to do so. Here is what Lincoln had to say about it [1]: > My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to 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 the 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. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views. [1]: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/greeley.htm http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/greeley...