As I've read Lies My Teacher Told Me, I haven't always enjoyed it. It can be depressing to have the wrongs of our country and it's people paraded through your mind or have images of your heroes shattered.
For this reason it was with a little trepidation I began the chapter about Lincoln. I've always been fascinated by his life. I even received a coffee table size picture biography for a gift several years ago. I became more and more excited as I read this chapter. I was so relieved to find out that Lincoln really was a good guy!!
My favorite quote that proves he abhorred slavery is on page 188. "Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
Wow!! How powerful to read his words, you can almost hear his voice. I read a lot of this to my husband and we both asked repeatedly, "why have I never heard this before?" This chapter renewed my hope that there really were people in our history who could be classified as heroes.
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