The Institution of Slavery

While nitpicking at exact words could be considered a nuisance and an annoyance, there are times when specific word choices can have an effect on history.  This can occur whether or not a specific word choice was inadvertent or not.  Specifically, Abraham Lincoln, in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, uses an interesting word to describe slavery.  Lincoln refers to slavery as the “institution” as he argues about the difficulty of its removal.  It’s not just Lincoln, though; plenty of documents from this time period refer to slavery as such.  Perhaps the usage of such a description becomes a roadblock in and of itself in the path of emancipation.  The word “institution” implies a permanent and established policy.  It suggests that slavery has been implanted deep into the ground of society, and that it is ever difficult to get rid of it.  In fact, the way this figure is used seems almost like a euphemism.  It feels like Lincoln is cleverly slithering around saying the “slavery” word, that word that carries with it the shame of the entire nation.  It is this “mentality” that fixates the Union.  Slavery becomes the elephant in the room; everyone knows it’s there and that it’s a problem, but no one wants to tackle the idea of fixing it.  This mentality was present even before Lincoln, however, and is expressed in John Marshall’s court ruling in the case of Johnson & Graham’s Lessee v. William M’intosh.  Mr. Marshall’s ruling refers to the conquest of native peoples, and seems to suggest that conquest, and slavery, have simply existed and will continue to exist.  His closing comment says it all: “Every rule which can be suggested will be found to be attended with great difficulty.”