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Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

"The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 2: 1843-1858"

Could we have
had our way, the chances of these black girls ever mixing their blood
with that of white people would have been diminished at least to the
extent that it could not have been without their consent. But Judge
Douglas is delighted to have them decided to be slaves, and not human
enough to have a hearing, even if they were free, and thus left subject
to the forced concubinage of their masters, and liable to become the
mothers of mulattoes in spite of themselves: the very state of case that
produces nine tenths of all the mulattoes all the mixing of blood in the
nation.
Of course, I state this case as an illustration only, not meaning to say
or intimate that the master of Dred Scott and his family, or any more
than a percentage of masters generally, are inclined to exercise this
particular power which they hold over their female slaves.
I have said that the separation of the races is the only perfect
preventive of amalgamation. I have no right to say all the members of the
Republican party are in favor of this, nor to say that as a party they
are in favor of it. There is nothing in their platform directly on the
subject. But I can say a very large proportion of its members are for it,
and that the chief plank in their platform--opposition to the spread of
slavery--is most favorable to that separation.


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