Issue of Slavery in Lincoln's Letter to Hodges

The letter was a summary of a conversation which President Abraham Lincoln had with three Kentuckians: Governor Thomas E. Bramlette, Albert Hodges and Archibald Dixon. After the meeting, Hodges had asked Lincoln to put the statements he made during their conversation in writing. Abraham Lincoln's letter to Albert Hodges concerned the popular topic of that time: slavery. He got straight to the point from the very beginning. He said in the first line "I am naturally anti-slavery." These words identified Lincoln's personal stance on the matter, clear and openly. He obviously wanted to confirm with the nation his beliefs. This first-person statement from Lincoln was moving since he had normally acted as a mediator between the two extremes.

Lincoln goes on to say "I cannot remember when I did not so think, and feel." He is referring to his childhood. Lincoln lived in Hardin County, Kentucky, where there were not many slaves. His family's cabin was located the Cumberland Road so Lincoln was able to see slaves being driven like cattle to market regularly. Lincoln was surely aware of his parents' anti-slavery views, causing them to move from Kentucky to Indiana when he was seven (White, 11).

He stated the inner conflict that was occurring for him during his presidency. His views on slavery became an issue because as president he found himself in a difficult position, as he explains in the letter. In the handwritten letter to Hodge's, Lincoln made it clear that he believes slavery to be unconstitutional. As president it was his duty to protect the Constitution. However, it was also his duty to protect the country that the Constitution was wrote for in the first place. In the letter, he describes the problem that lay before him because the majority of the people of the United States were not anti-slavery.

"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong," Lincoln wrote. His words once again revealed the anti-slavery advocate that Lincoln had always been. Lincoln was in a difficult position because he knew he had to stand for the Constitution but the rest of the nation would not easily understand. He knew he had to stand for the abolition of slavery because it was immoral, even at a time when the rest of society disagreed.

This letter gives people a clear understanding of why Lincoln changed his position on slavery after being elected. During election he said that he would not interfere with slavery, even though he did not agree with it. However, once in office he was elected, he moved from non-interference to emancipation. He explained in the letter that it was because of his constitutional responsibility as president. Lincoln did not just want to abolish slavery by controlling the government; he wanted to consult popular will of the people. He wanted to shape people's beliefs so they would do what he knew was right.

Lincoln was sometimes perceived

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