Eric Foner is a leading scholar of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Here are some of his words on Lincoln.

ERIC FONER:
“Lincoln comes into office not expecting to be the Great Emancipator. Nonetheless, he was deeply antislavery and had spoken many times before the Civil War of the ultimate extinction of slavery. He had refused in the secession crisis to compromise on the issue of the westward expansion of slavery even though that might have possibly avoided war.

“Lincoln was committed to some future abolition of slavery…
“In the 1840s Lincoln was a member of the Whig party. He hated slavery. There is absolutely no question in my mind that Lincoln hated slavery, but it was not a priority to him at that time. He was certainly not an abolitionist. He was opposed to the westward expansion of slavery, but he saw no way within the national political system that a politician like himself could actually do anything about slavery. It was a state institution. The Constitution did not give Congress any power over slavery in the states where it existed. Moreover, he saw it as a disruptive issue. He saw it as a threat to the stability of the Union.
“By the 1850s he’s changed. This issue of the westward expansion of slavery has now become the number one question in American politics and he now sees the expansion of slavery as the disruptive question threatening the Union. He comes to the position in eloquent, brilliant speeches that the nation must resolve to stop the expansion of slavery and to place slavery in what he called on the course of ultimate extinction.

"The Emancipation Proclamation... made the Union Army henceforth an agent of emancipation. Wherever the Union Army went, it was now part of its task to guarantee the freedom of these slaves.

“…the Emancipation Proclamation … really transforms the character of the Civil War in fundamental ways. It is really the turning point of the war, and Lincoln understands that. Whenever you think of Lincoln as a historian, in his own mind, he becomes the Great Emancipator. This is his role in history henceforth. He was an ambitious man who wanted to make an impact on history, and this is how he did it."

Everything Mr. Looney said is inaccurate. There is not one correct statement of fact. It is all wrong!

I'm kinda a history buff and do civil war reenacting.I wear both Blue and Gray in the battles.I think the South was right to susceed from the Union. It wasn't about Slavery. The Union didn't free their slaves till December 31,1865 because they needed the slaves to run their war machine and keep the Union producing war material.Almost all Union Generals owned slaves before and after the war.They had nowhere to go once freed so most stayed with their masters.The history books were written by the North. Do a little research and see what kind of people were running the country. Look into Abe Lincolns activities and his trips to the Brothels in D.C. $2.00 was the going price,but ole Abe being frugal bartered the Ladies of the Night down to $1.00. It is said Mary Todd died of Brain Syphilis. Wonder who she got that from ? I think the war wasted 600,000 young men and womens lives.They will not let Lincolns hair be tested for DNA because the truth may come out about Lincolns disease.

We should absolutely NOT repudiate the confederacy. The Civil War is a major, major part of American history and the people who were part of the Confederacy were dedicated to the point of being willing to die for the cause. If we were to do such a cowardly thing in deference to being "politically correct" in this day and age of fearing to speak our minds, it would be a blatant disregard for our ancestors beliefs, values and sacrifice. A sacrifice that was beyond human comprehension....The men and boys who died in that horrible war would be disgraced, whether they fought in blue or in grey. NO, No, NO. Shame on anyone for even thinking of such a horrible idea!

This not a complicated issue. Supporters of the rebellion betrayed their country and tried to destroy the United States. There is no honor in treason. Making heroes out of traitors is ridiculous.

"Black people are very forgiving people"?

In what universe is this NOT a racial comment?

Repudiation of the Confederacy is a tricky item. Yes, it was deplorable that its economy was rooted in slavery, just as it is deplorable that, for many years, the North's economy was just a dependent on it (remember the Triangle Trade?) The fact that the North abolished slavery before the war is a matter of degree, to me. Besides, there were more issues at stake in the rebellion than slavery -- states' rights, self-determination, so on, so forth -- all of which admittedly circled around the issue of slavery.

What is of more concern to me, and the reason why I think the South needs to repudiate their so-called Heritage, is what happened after the Civil War. The resultant backlash against African-Americans with groups like the Klan and others, the Jim Crow Laws, segregation, and the rest, were -- and are -- no more than the embittered and angry tantrum of a child who has lost at his favorite game. I know that's bordering on trivializing something very serious, but I am speaking from a psychological perspective rather than sociological or human rights view.

The inability of many in the South to get over the events of 160 years ago simply shows that they are unable to deal with the problems and issues that face the country now. It is the same as if Germany and Japan wished to revive the Nazi and Imperial regimes out of a desire to “preserve their heritage.”

I was a Northerner who lived in the South during the Civil Rights Movement days and heard many times, in all seriousness, “If we’d had two machine guns and an airplane, we’d have won that damned war!” It demonstrated to me the unrealistic viewpoint of some Southerners who simply could not let go of a perceived glory that was, at best, tarnished and which, thankfully, faded quickly.

Tell us, please, how "the south" as a "whole" would do that? Deny that it happened? Demonize all those who supported the country?

Lets stay realistic in our political attacks on Republicans (that is what this is, after all) and leave the impossible, such as having "the south" "repudiate" the Confederacy and Middle East peace in the category of science fiction.

I think people too often forget that before the Civil War, the south had a very rich and different culture. Many African American aspects of the current culture started there, yes in slavery, but still not forgotten. To say it was nothing but slavery or murder or "just" anything else is ignorant. If I came from the south there are many things I would personally take pride in. The north is not innicent either. I suppose the acceptability of your pride depends on what it is you are holding your flag for. Just educate beyond the obvious and find exactly what there is to BE proud of.

History is full of inspirational moments and moments of disgust. We can not judge the generations before us. They lived in a different time period than we do. The south should not and cannot repudiate their past. If anything, our entire country needs to learn from the mistakes that have been made. To erase history is an insult to every man, woman and child that has contributed to our history, good and bad.