The Party of Lincoln

I am presently reading one of the preeminent biographies on Lincoln: “Lincoln, A Life of Purpose and Power” by Rhodes Professor of American History at Oxford University, Richard Carwardine. It is an inspiring and refreshing portrait free from the taint of historical revisionists such as Howard Zinn, whose requisite college and high school textbook, “A People’s History of the United States” cherrypicks Lincoln’s worst moments and paints him as a racist and capitalist oppressor. Carwardine’s biography reveals the glorious and revolutionary roots of the GOP, of which Lincoln was one of the early founders. It’s a proud heritage that we should cherish and publicize. I wrote the following piece for the January issue of the Queens Village Eagle in order to promote the annual Lincoln’s Day Dinner, where we will resume the tradition of honoring Lincoln with a lecture on his life and legacy.
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The Party of Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is considered the greatest man to have served as president of the United States of America. He was also the first president the newly formed Republican Party put into office.

We will be honoring our 16th president and his steadfast vision of freedom in America, by holding our annual Lincoln's Day Dinner with a roster of exciting speakers including Curtis Sliwa - the founder of the Guardian Angels, Daniel Donovan - Richmond County District Attorney, Dennis Walcott - New York City Deputy Mayor and Gerald Matacotta - professor of history at Queensborough Community College, who will be honored as the educator of the year. As always, we will be entertained by a great selection of music and enjoy the excellent cuisine at Antun's.

As one of the highlights of this year's event, we will be treated to a lecture on Abraham Lincoln by Professor Matacotta to shed light on why the Republican Party is known as the "Party of Lincoln." This will help us navigate the present times of political schism, terrorism and war by revisiting the vision and ideals of the Great Emancipator of the slaves and savior of our nation.

The troubling times of today are similar to the pre-Civil War era of our nation leading up to 1860 when Lincoln was elected president as the nation was breaking up into warring factions over the issue of slavery. The essentially pro-slavery Democratic Party was torn apart. At first it was led by Stephen Douglas, a moral relativist on the issue of slavery, however the southern faction nominated Breckinridge, the party's leading pro-slavery advocate. Democrats upheld slavery as a positive institution for the survival and expansion of the cotton economy, which enriched the plantation owners and built the wealth of the Southern states on the backs of human beings treated as chattel.

The Republican Party was a newly formed coalition of parties founded from the Free Soil anti-slavery movement opposing the expansion of slave labor into new territories, in order to quarantine the evil institution to the Deep South and allow it to die a natural death. Lincoln, the party's anti-slavery spokesman stood up decisively as the leading figure for change in a tumultuous climate of violent clashes between Free Soilers and pro-slavery forces, race riots and church burnings. The Republican Party's message of individual freedom and free enterprise for a new era resonated with the emerging middle class of workers, entrepreneurs and pioneers.

At a time when people resisted change, Lincoln appeared on the scene as the new breed - the enterprising new man for the new America. He was a self-educated, self-made man of virtue, ambition and honesty, with a fierce revulsion against the old social order of idle aristocratic southerners who enslaved human beings and scoffed at hard work, sweat and toil. Lincoln won and lost local elections on the road to the presidency, but along the way he molded and shaped public opinion with impassioned eloquence. He raised the consciousness of ordinary citizens based upon the mandate of the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal" and the fundamental directive against the tyranny of one man's domination over another. His belief was that freemen contribute to the prosperity of society as they pursue the American dream. He declared unequivocally that slavery was wrong, freedom was right and there was no middle ground. In his famous "House Divided" speech he implored: "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other."

When Lincoln was elected to the presidency, the Southern states seceded and the nation was plunged into Civil War. As Commander-in-Chief he led the divided union through the war and ultimately united the nation based on the just cause of equality for all and emancipation of the slaves. He stood valiantly against any party or foe that would undermine this righteous cause saying: "Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged."

Returning to the present, we see elected officials and the media engaging in lies, false propaganda, fraud, and any other means for political gain, thereby undermining the people's trust, our national unity in wartime, and the very founding principles of our great country. In our own party there are elected officials who choose political expediency over Republican principles. Therefore it is urgent that we return to our roots as the "Party of Lincoln." Looking forward to the crucial election of 2008 and today's pressing issues of the war in Iraq, the media crusade against it, national security, bloated bureaucracy, and the question of illegal immigration, it is important to understand the purpose driven character of the man, Abraham Lincoln in order to develop new leaders and field candidates who will stand on such moral high ground for the future of our great nation.