--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are those who view the…" description: "\"There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war, and Lincoln is the model of responsible st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/eric-foner-20891_abolitionist_there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionis_260928.jpg" --- # There are those who view the abolitionists as just… ![“There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war, and Lincoln is the model of responsible statesmanship. I think that is a misconception, the idea that Lincoln knows what's possible and the abolitionists don't.” quote by Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/eric-foner-20891_abolitionist_there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionis_260928.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/eric-foner-20891_abolitionist_there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionis_260928.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/eric-foner-20891_abolitionist_there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionis_260928.jpg) > “There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war, and Lincoln is the model of responsible statesmanship. I think that is a misconception, the idea that Lincoln knows what's possible and the abolitionists don't.” [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lincoln’s leadership and the abolitionists’ role are often mischaracterized; both contributed to ending slavery, challenging simplistic narratives. **In simple terms:** Lincoln and abolitionists together ended slavery. Key Takeaway Recognize complex historical agency. Themes history leadership social justice misconception Mood analytical critical Type historical interpretive When to use this quote - education curricula - public discourse - museum exhibits - policy analysis Key Concepts Moral agency political strategy collective action Questions to Reflect On - How does this view reshape our understanding of progress? - What lessons does it offer for modern activism? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on single heroes can obscure broader forces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abolitionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolitionist/) [Apolitical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apolitical/) [Fanatics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fanatics/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Misconception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misconception/) [Statesmanship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statesmanship/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [ In one point of view, we, the abolitionists and colored people, should meet \[the Dred Scott\] decision, unlooked for and monstrous as it appears,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/in-one-point-of-view-we-the-abolitionists-and-colored-people-should/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Many abolitionists have yet to learn the ABC of woman's rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/many-abolitionists-have-yet-to-learn-the-abc-of-woman-s-rights/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [“just at that time, the slightest manifestation of humanity toward a colored person was denounced as abolitionism, and that name subjected its bearer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/just-at-that-time-the-slightest-manifestation-of-humanity-toward-a/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There were thousands of abolitionists who were free traders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/there-were-thousands-of-abolitionists-who-were-free-traders/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) > [Who freed the slaves? To the extent that they were ever u2018freed,' they were freed by the Thirteenth Amendment, which was authored and pressured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lerone-bennett-jr/who-freed-the-slaves-to-the-extent-that-they-were-ever-u2018freed/) Lerone Bennett, Jr > [“Certain black women faced the triple hurdle—of being abolitionists in a slave society, of being black among white reformers, and of being women in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/certain-black-women-faced-the-triple-hurdle-of-being-abolitionists-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“In a democratic society, a wrongful practice persists only when most people don’t perceive it to be unjust. At first, only a small minority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/in-a-democratic-society-a-wrongful-practice-persists-only-when-most/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [We've actually bought quite a number of historical pieces. We are doing a piece on the abolitionists, Harper's Ferry and the abolitionist John Brown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landgraf/we-ve-actually-bought-quite-a-number-of-historical-pieces-we-are/) [John Landgraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landgraf/) > [Oftentimes, a history book in school will talk about the Underground Railroad as if it's one sentence. But thousands of people decided to run,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett-bell/oftentimes-a-history-book-in-school-will-talk-about-the-underground/) [Jurnee Smollett-Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett-bell/) > [Is art influential? It can be - 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' rallied abolitionists, and 'The Jungle' provoked the demand for a safer food industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-shetterly/is-art-influential-it-can-be-uncle-tom-s-cabin-rallied-abolitionists/) [Will Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-shetterly/) > [Enslaving each other was what human beings had done for ages. And the abolitionist movement was greeted with incredulity. Conservative spokesmen ridiculed the abolitionists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/enslaving-each-other-was-what-human-beings-had-done-for-ages-and-the/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Everybody has asked the question, and they learned to ask it early of the abolitionists, 'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/everybody-has-asked-the-question-and-they-learned-to-ask-it-early-of/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“Doak and other early abolitionists planted a host of Presbyterian churches and “log cabin colleges” that taught a strong antislavery doctrine. They laid the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-himes/doak-and-other-early-abolitionists-planted-a-host-of-presbyterian/) [Andrew Himes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-himes/) > [I was in favour of the death penalty, and disposed to regard abolitionists as people whose hearts were bigger than their heads. Four years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gowers/i-was-in-favour-of-the-death-penalty-and-disposed-to-regard/) Ernest Gowers > [One can cite cases of Negroes who opposed emancipation and denounced the abolitionists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/one-can-cite-cases-of-negroes-who-opposed-emancipation-and-denounced/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) ## More by Eric Foner > [“Successful teaching rests both on a genuine and selfless concern for students and on the ability to convey to them a love of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/successful-teaching-rests-both-on-a-genuine-and-selfless-concern-for/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [A man working for wages his whole life is not really free. That is why Jefferson said, you have to own land. Southerners said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/a-man-working-for-wages-his-whole-life-is-not-really-free-that-is-why/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“New laws also redefined in the interest of the planter the terms of credit and the right to property—the essence of economic power in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/new-laws-also-redefined-in-the-interest-of-the-planter-the-terms-of/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Colonization was the idea that once slavery ended African-Americans should be encouraged - or required, in some people's view - required to leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/colonization-was-the-idea-that-once-slavery-ended-african-americans/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [ I don't \[even\] know the number of books on Abraham Lincoln. Ten thousand, twelve thousand? I have seen various numbers. It seems like every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/i-don-t-even-know-the-number-of-books-on-abraham-lincoln-ten-thousand/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“Ironically, as Illinois Sen. Richard Yates pointed out, opponents of expansionism employed arguments extremely reminiscent of proslavery ideology, while its supporters upheld the principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/ironically-as-illinois-sen-richard-yates-pointed-out-opponents-of/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Whatever Lincoln's racial views, which are not totally modern and egalitarian in many ways, he believes blacks should have this natural right to improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/whatever-lincoln-s-racial-views-which-are-not-totally-modern-and/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“It is a well known fact that Abraham Lincoln spent much of his spare time visiting wounded soldiers in Union Army hospitals. I've spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/it-is-a-well-known-fact-that-abraham-lincoln-spent-much-of-his-spare/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“Republicans, white and black, heaped scorn upon “respectables” who did not participate directly in the violence but “could not stop their sons from murdering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/republicans-white-and-black-heaped-scorn-upon-respectables-who-did/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Look, Mrs. McGillicuddy, it's not my fault your son jumped out a dorm room window on Christmas eve. I've written over fifty books as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/look-mrs-mcgillicuddy-it-s-not-my-fault-your-son-jumped-out-a-dorm/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Who owns history? Everyone and no one--which is why the study of the past is a constantly evolving, never-ending journey of discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/who-owns-history-everyone-and-no-one-which-is-why-the-study-of-the/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [For historians, hindsight can be a treacherous ally. Enabling us to trace the hidden patterns of past events, it beguiles us with the mirage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/for-historians-hindsight-can-be-a-treacherous-ally-enabling-us-to/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [In a democratic society, as Max Weber said, what is possible is only possible because some people have demanded the impossible. The abolitionists helped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/in-a-democratic-society-as-max-weber-said-what-is-possible-is-only/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [I admire Lincoln enormously and I think what's interesting about Lincoln is how he changes, it's not that he held the same view throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/i-admire-lincoln-enormously-and-i-think-what-s-interesting-about/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Lincoln has accepted America as a biracial society. He's talking about giving at least some black men the right to vote. In the Emancipation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/lincoln-has-accepted-america-as-a-biracial-society-he-s-talking-about/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) [Explore all 30 Eric Foner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) ## More Abolitionist quotes > [Nowhere is wisdom more necessary than in the guidance of charitable impulses. Meaning well is only half our duty; Thinking right is the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gridley-howe/nowhere-is-wisdom-more-necessary-than-in-the-guidance-of-charitable/) Samuel Gridley Howe > [“I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lloyd-garrison/i-am-aware-that-many-object-to-the-severity-of-my-language-but-is/) [William Lloyd Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lloyd-garrison/) > [“That was when I realized we weren’t born to be slaves. It was ignorant for any man to think he could be the master…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-grewal/that-was-when-i-realized-we-weren-t-born-to-be-slaves-it-was-ignorant/) [Jay Grewal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-grewal/) > [I feel safe even in the midst of my enemies; for the truth is powerful and will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sojourner-truth/i-feel-safe-even-in-the-midst-of-my-enemies-for-the-truth-is-powerful/) [Sojourner Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sojourner-truth/) > [One of the songs that stayed in my head that I really considered a lot was an old folk song called 'John Brown' -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/one-of-the-songs-that-stayed-in-my-head-that-i-really-considered-a/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Whether by the House or by the People, if an Abolitionist be chosen President of the United States, you will have presented to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/whether-by-the-house-or-by-the-people-if-an-abolitionist-be-chosen/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Many abolitionists have yet to learn the ABC of woman's rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/many-abolitionists-have-yet-to-learn-the-abc-of-woman-s-rights/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [You point out that war is only a symptom of the whole horrid business of human behavior, and cannot be isolated. And that, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/you-point-out-that-war-is-only-a-symptom-of-the-whole-horrid-business/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [It’s time for a 21st-century abolitionist movement in the U.S and around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/it-s-time-for-a-21st-century-abolitionist-movement-in-the-u-s-and/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) > [If, while I hear the wild shriek of the slave mother robbed of her little ones, I do not open my mouth, am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-stone/if-while-i-hear-the-wild-shriek-of-the-slave-mother-robbed-of-her/) [Lucy Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-stone/) > [I was in favour of the death penalty, and disposed to regard abolitionists as people whose hearts were bigger than their heads. Four years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gowers/i-was-in-favour-of-the-death-penalty-and-disposed-to-regard/) Ernest Gowers > [In such a condition of affairs, the practical difference between the abolitionist and the sympathizer, to the man who lost his slave and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sergeant-wise/in-such-a-condition-of-affairs-the-practical-difference-between-the/) [John Sergeant Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sergeant-wise/) > [If I had to write down the most important people in the history of this planet, No.1 would be (abolitionist) John Brown. Why? Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/if-i-had-to-write-down-the-most-important-people-in-the-history-of/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [“These men are all talk. What we need is action—action!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brown/these-men-are-all-talk-what-we-need-is-action-action/) [John Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brown/) > [Being vegan is easy. Are there social pressures that encourage you to continue to eat, wear, and use animal products? Of course there are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/being-vegan-is-easy-are-there-social-pressures-that-encourage-you-to/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 90 Abolitionist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolitionist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war, and Lincoln is the model of responsible statesmanship. I think that is a misconception, the idea that Lincoln knows what's possible and the abolitionists don't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Foner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionists-as-just-maniacs-apolitical/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abolitionist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionists-as-just-maniacs-apolitical/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/eric-foner-20891_abolitionist_there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionis_260928.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/eric-foner-20891_abolitionist_there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionis_260928.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/eric-foner-20891_abolitionist_there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionis_260928.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war…” — Eric Foner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eric Foner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are those who view the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionists-as-just-maniacs-apolitical/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionists-as-just-maniacs-apolitical/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```