Was Abraham Lincoln racist or not racist?

Answer 1

He might be considered so, by the standards of today.

But although Lincoln shared many of his contemporaries' reservations about African-Americans and their place in America, he nonetheless was instrumental in advancing their civil and human rights. His Emancipation Proclamation took the first bold step in ending black slavery. Lincoln's views on race and equality came to be among the most progressive in America.

Lincoln did not believe that blacks and whites could co-exist, and considered that merging ex-slaves into white society presented too many problems. At various times he considered separate societies, or relocation of blacks to lands with mostly black societies. But he could not ignore that slavery was wrong.

No.

Answer 2

He was certainly not an abolitionist and might be called a racist today. Judge for yourself from these quotes.

"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."

"I am not now, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social or political equality of the white and black races. I am not now nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor of intermarriages with white people. There is a physical difference between the white and the black races which will forever forbid the two races living together on social or political equality. There must be a position of superior and inferior, and I am in favor of assigning the superior position to the white man."

Answer 3

if he was racist he would not have abolish slavery.

Answer 4

Abraham wasn't pro-slavery, at the same time he wasn't pro-rights either. He believed that slavery was a monster, but like most of the North at the time, they didn't believe in complete rights for African Americans.

You cannot simply define someone as racist or not racist, there is always a gray area. If I had to rate him though, he's on the better side.