John Chodes

Horatio Seymour, New York's Governor, Attacks Abe Lincoln's War John Chodes

Why are the speeches of Horatio Seymour against President Abraham Lincoln and his Civil War, important today, when Lincoln is an American icon? As ?Honest Abe? and ?The Great Emancipator?, he is viewed as a semi-god whose grand virtues far outweigh his minuscule human failings. But he was not always viewed this way. During his presidency he was feared and hated, not only by Southerners, but also by his political enemies, the Democrats and, to a surprising degree, by the rank-and-file of his own Republican Party. They recognized that he had become a dictator, and was turning the U. S. A. into a permanent military dictatorship. Today, much of this has been swept under the rug. But Horatio Seymour's words have kept that reality alive. Once again, why is this important for today? Because, much of the negatives in 21st century American society; the centralization of power, the political indifference to the popular will, the continual expansion of the ?military-industrial complex,? can all be traced to their starting point: Abe Lincoln's presidency.