Fighting hate. Teaching tolerance. Seeking justice. All those years I’ve read books about Abraham Lincoln. I visited Lincoln Memorial many times. I visited Lincoln’s summer retreat. I’ve visited Ford Theatre. I’ve visited Petersen House. The only place I did not get to visit Springfield, Illinois, the birthplace of Lincoln. Not yet.
Few days ago, I just completed reading a book about Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, the great debate between them. Douglass was Lincoln’s personal adviser that Lincoln himself had the biggest change of heart all because of Douglass. Thanks, Douglass!
First, I would like to talk a little more about Alexander Graham Bell. He was a professional thief. He stole the phone idea. He stole written lines from influential people, for example, stealing the line from Helen Keller. Look between Keller and Bell’s lines. Disclaimer: Keller said it first WAY before Bell claimed it was his. So easy to see this!
Keller’s line: “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
Bell’s line: “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
So obvious!
He stole Deaf people’s life. How? Did AGBell copy the idea from Lincoln’s 1858 quote? Let’s take a serious look at those similar speeches between Lincoln’s 1858 hate speech and AGBell’s 1883 hate speech. First, let’s take a look at AGBell’s hate-filled words first:
Those who believe as I do, that the production of a defective race of human beings would be a great calamity to the world, will examine carefully the causes that lead to the intermarriages of the deaf with the object of applying a remedy.”
I must warn you this that the quote by Lincoln you are about to read will be graphic that may make your skin crawl. This quote was the most racist and hate language you would see anywhere from Lincoln [seriously!] and I was very surprised what I read with my own eyes. I was in total disbelief. Lincoln’s words:
I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races—that I am nor ever have been in favor in
making voters or jurors of negroes, or of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied everything.”—Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) 16th President.
Yes, yes, yes, Lincoln really said that! Were you surprised? Admit it.
Source: Fourth Debate with Stephen A. Douglas at Charleston, Illinois, September 18, 1858. [The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume III, pp. 145-145]
I am sure that Lincoln may be very much regretted to say this. Few years later, Lincoln toured several Civil Wars, he saw the great pain in Black soldiers who were severely injured, killed, became whether North nor South soldiers became Deaf and the hollow ground that fights for democracy. Stories became Lincoln’s stories. I am also sure that Frederick Douglass who stood strong and believed that Lincoln would have the change of heart after realizing that being a racist is not the pivotal answer and he knew that hate do not win at all costs.
Douglass saw a great potential in Lincoln who took the greatest power to overthrow hate. That took a REAL MAN to stop being racist and believed in equality. You do not see that like that often. That is why Lincoln supported the idea of 13th Amendment—and abolishes slavery for good all because of the mistake he said in 1858. It shows that Lincoln believes in returning the favor out of love. That’s really big! Love trumps hate. (Tsk. Tsk. Wonder who it reminds me of?)
AGBell loved Lincoln’s racist idea to make him fame and infamous and saved for the best to attack Deaf community. Did you ever wonder that AGBell may get the idea from Lincoln? Just sharing thoughts on this.
AGBell did not own up and apologize and show that it is important to continue practice hate against Deaf people. Did you ever wonder why there is not a single photograph of AGBell and a Black Deaf person together in same photo? Was AGBell a hardcore Racist? That is exactly why AGBell believes in continuing slavery. Same way. Again, hate does not win. Lincoln was honest about his mistake. AGBell will never admit his mistake. Can Racists become better people in the future? Who was better person? What about Audists?
We need to fight hate against AGBell. We need to teach tolerance against AGBell. We need to seek justice against AGBell. Every inch of human cost. The bottom line is that Lincoln overthrew Racism. AGBell did not overthrow Audism because he was at the level of false hope. That’s where it went the wrong way. Oops.
Whenever you visit Cap City for the first time or visit the city again, be sure to visit Tower of Books. Since Lincoln’s death in 1865, about 100 books every year has written about President Lincoln, the most popular president in American history. That’s over 15,000 books already written about Lincoln. If you want to see the Tower of Books, you need to visit Petersen House first before see it. Let’s write 15,000 books about how AGBell fucked Deaf community up.
-JT
Copyright © 2017 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.
References:
http://www.vanguardsculptureservices.com/Content/Patina/Patina.htm
https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/cons/features/0206_01/slide3.html
http://clumsyphotographer.tumblr.com/
...And the Truth Shall Set You Free. 
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