Growing up in Kentucky Abraham Lincoln witnessed slaves being herded along the highway like cattle. It made a lasting impression on him, and he became convinced that no person should ever be the property of another. But slavery was a fact of life and some 4 million were enslaved at the time of his election as president in 1861. He was determined to use the power he now had to set them free; a resolve that led to civil war. Standing for re-election in 1864 he was under enormous pressure to compromise – the war was going badly, and many voters were nervous of slaves being given their freedom. But Lincoln wouldn’t budge. Although it would cost him his life, he held firm. The war was won and the principle that all were equal under God was established.
It’s a powerful reminder of the dehumanising effect of slavery which goes beyond the owning or trafficking of one individual by another. Jesus once said that we are in fact all slaves, slaves to sin and rebellion against God. It’s this slavery that ultimately leads to the other. Like Lincoln, whom he inspired, Jesus wanted all to be free. It was an issue on which he would not compromise and which, like Lincoln, cost him his life.
