American History

» Brian Tubbs - Robert E. Lee

Lee's legacy regarding slavery is complicated. On the one hand, he liberated those slaves he was directly in ownership of, but was not as magnanimous to those slaves he controlled as head of his grandfather's estate. I haven't researched all the in's and out's, but let's say his record as a personal slave owner is mixed.

His philosophical views on slavery mirrored those of his hero, George Washington. He found slavery to be a great "moral evil." BUT...he parts with Washington in that Lee somehow believed that slavery was God's will for the African race in America, and that the slaves in America were better off in America than they would be in Africa. That's my understanding of his views based on my study of the man.

Like many in the Upper South, though, it's hard to pin down Lee on slavery. Because his views (like many others in the era) were progressing or changing with the times.

Lincoln was pretty racist in the 1850s. He was anti-slavery, but still racist. By the time of his death, however, Lincoln had come around to pretty much embracing racial equality. He counted Frederick Douglass as one of his close friends - and that feeling was mutual (in 1865).

So, we have to allow for the fact that many people of that day were PROGRESSING in their views regarding slavery and race relations. I think Lee was such a person.