Greg; Lincoln's illusions to the evils of slavery in the Lincoln-Douglas debates didn't work out too well for him based on the outcome. So, he essentially dropped the issue, including in his presidential run, until it became politically expedient to oppose slavery during the war in the Emancipation Proclamation.....but only emancipation in the South, not in the North. This was, and is, hardly a ringing endorsement of abolition of slaves as a factual matter. However, he can be forgiven because, after all, he was nothing more than a politician, with all that that implies in terms of moral commitment and character. Jeff Southmayd To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html