Smashing Lincoln Myths

Sgt Major John Rawlins: Not sure I'd be wanting this, colonel.
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw: I know exactly how you feel.
--Glory

Tom DiLorenzo challenges various Lincoln myths, something that we have occasionally done on these pages as well (often with DiLorenzo's help). The myths are put forth in an interview of a 'Lincoln scholar' by a socialist web site.

It should not be surprising that Lincoln's behavior attracts socialists like a magnet. Lincoln embodied the Statist authoritarian figure seen as central to enacting a socialist agenda.

Toward the end of his missive, DiLorenzo connects the dots as to how the 20th century may have been different had Lincoln not 'kept the union together.' American may have remained a constitutional republic rather than becoming a centralized nation state. Capitalism may have prevailed instead of the blend of corporatism and neo-mercantilism that rules the day. Rather than seeking to build a militaristic empire that facilitated world war, the US would have served as a counterexample of peace and freedom to the world.

Many of our problems can be traced back to Lincoln's aggression.