Lincoln never wanted to “deport all black people”

The evidence allegedly supporting that claim actually proves the opposite.

I’m grateful that Herbert Dyer introduced me to the transcript of an important meeting between Abraham Lincoln and prominent members of the black community. I had heard about this meeting, but did not know that this transcript existed, and I’m grateful to him for giving us an opportunity to read it. However, most of the claims he makes about the meeting are false, as Dyer’s own article clearly shows.

Let’s start with the title: Before He ‘Freed’ Them, Abraham Lincoln Tried to Deport All Black People. In the article itself, Deyer refers to Lincoln’s offer as “permanent exile”. The transcript clearly shows that Lincoln had no intention of deporting or exiling anyone. To deport or exile someone is to force them to leave and forbidding them to return. Lincoln specifically said that one of the advantages of the central American colony was that it was a relatively short trip for anyone who wished to return. Lincoln was also not threatening to use force at any time during this meeting. He was instead making an offer, and it was an offer that was quite a bit better than what his government was offering to the rest of the American people at the time. The homestead act, which was the central plank of the Republican Party platform and considered to be the ultimate expression of the American dream, would give a free piece of land to any American citizen who agreed to work it. Lincoln was offering these black people not only land, but…