I think that Lincoln was right to free the slaves. An economy prospers best when cItizens are paid to perform labor. These citizens then have money to purchase things they want or need, putting money into the economy. The more people who have money to buy things, the more individual businesses, and ultimately the economy, will grow. And then we have the issue of morality. Many correctly see slavery as being immoral, which is difficult to argue. When it comes to equality, I don't think blacks had evolved enough at that point in time. Look at the conditions we took them from. Very neanderthalish to say the least, with hardly any cultural advances over their history as a "people". Even modernly, they are lacking. The only reason they have developed to the point they are currently at is because we (whites) have done everything we can to teach and train them, giving them every possible assistance and opportunity possible. And all this has done was create "gibsmedat", a sense of entitlment. It is a fact that most blacks are on par with animals, rather than white humans. How else could it come to be that they are but 12% of the population, yet make up 80+% of crime. They as a people are ignorant and ungrateful. If they have hatred against modern whites for slavery of our ancestors, wouldn't you think they should be grateful on the other hand for being rescued from what is the most diseased and impovrished land in the world. We clothed and educated them, and let them in on the benefits of being American, benefits that were never intended for them. In fact, we had done more to advance them as a people then they or anyone/thing else had in the 6000 years prior to being our slaves. I know many whites who were raised by equality, who never hated blacks a day in their lives until repeated exposure to TNB (typical negro behavior- lying, stealing, hating whitey, not working) forced them into hatred of negros. If you try to love a dog, how many times will you let it bite you before you say, F*ck this, I hate this dog. Any oppression blacks still suffer, they have done everything to earn and more.