Book Review: A closer look at Lincoln on President's Day

In observation of Presidents Day perhaps the most pertinent thing we can do would be to take a closer look at the Office of the President, and its abuses both past and present.

A good place to start would be the recent book, "Lincoln Unmasked" by Thomas DiLorenzo where he explores, from his paleo-conservative perspective, the darker side of Lincoln's presidency.

Abraham Lincoln has achieved iconic and an almost heroic aura in today's culture, however the reality is much more disturbing. According to DiLorenzo, Lincoln, like most northerners was not interested in abolishing slavery, and the emancipation proclamation was merely a toothless political ploy. Lincoln's true political agenda was as DiLorenzo says in an article on Lewrockwell.com, to advance the

"...Whig Party agenda of protectionist tariffs, corporate welfare subsidies for railroad and canal-building corporations, and a government monopolization of the nation’s money supply....".


According to DiLorenzo, Lincoln encouraged and then used the Civil War as a way to advance these policies and in the process,

"The Dictator Lincoln invaded the South without the consent of Congress, as called for in the Constitution; declared martial law; blockaded Southern ports without a declaration of war, as required by the Constitution; illegally suspended the writ of habeas corpus; imprisoned without trial thousands of Northern anti-war protesters, including hundreds of newspaper editors and owners; censored all newspaper and telegraph communication; nationalized the railroads; created three new states without the consent of the citizens of those states in order to artificially inflate the Republican Party’s electoral vote; ordered Federal troops to interfere with Northern elections to assure Republican Party victories; deported Ohio Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham for opposing his domestic policies (especially protectionist tariffs and income taxation) on the floor of the House of Representatives; confiscated private property, including firearms, in violation of the Second Amendment; and effectively gutted the Tenth and Ninth Amendments as well."

For more on Lincoln by DiLorenzo and his ideological colleagues visit the King Lincoln Archive on LewRockwell.com.
A worthwhile and important topic, this look back at a President in war time reminds us of the dangers we face today as power is centralized to a degree Lincoln could only dream of.

pathetic cop-out: The Abraham Lincoln Hotel does not necessarily endorse the views of the author of this post - the.saint.of.the.pyre@gmail.com.