“I have said a hundred times, and I have no inclination to take it back, that I believe there is no right, and ought to be no inclination in the people of the free States to enter into the slave States, and to interfere with the question of slavery at all. I have said that always.”
- February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865
- American
- Politician, lawyer
- As the 16th President of the United States, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation and led the Civil War to maintain the unity of the nation.
Quote
“I have said a hundred times, and I have no inclination to take it back, that I believe there is no right, and ought to be no inclination in the people of the free States to enter into the slave States, and to interfere with the question of slavery at all. I have said that always.”
Explanation
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln is articulating his position on the expansion of slavery into the territories and states. He asserts that people in the free States (the Northern states) should not have the right nor the desire to intervene in the question of slavery in the slave States (the Southern states). This stance reflects Lincoln’s belief in the principle of popular sovereignty—the idea that the people of each state should decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, rather than having outsiders impose their will. Lincoln’s position, especially early in his political career, was one of gradualism: he did not initially call for the immediate abolition of slavery in the Southern states but instead sought to contain its spread into new territories.
Historically, this quote can be understood within the larger context of the debates over slavery in the United States during the 19th century. Lincoln was engaged in political and legal battles with figures like Stephen A. Douglas over the issue of slavery’s expansion. While Lincoln personally believed slavery to be morally wrong, he did not advocate for interfering with slavery in the Southern states, as it was constitutionally protected there. Instead, he focused on preventing the expansion of slavery into new territories and states, a position that reflected the political realities of his time. This quote also illustrates his desire to avoid an unconstitutional overreach by the federal government into the states’ rights.
In the context of modern political discourse, this quote speaks to the idea of federalism and the tension between state and federal authority. Lincoln’s early position reflects a view that while the federal government could not impose its will on the states in certain matters, such as slavery in the South, it could still act to influence national policies, such as preventing slavery from spreading. In today’s context, this type of reasoning can be seen in debates over states’ rights versus federal authority, especially in areas such as civil rights, education, or environmental policy. Lincoln’s nuanced approach to the slavery issue demonstrates the complexity of balancing constitutional principles with moral imperatives, a challenge that continues to inform modern political discussions.
