While at home watching the Lakers play the Celtics, I have a packet of history notes and a dictionary in front of me.
I stumble across a quote by our 16th President Abraham Lincoln that read,
"Wise statesmen...established these great self-evident truths, that when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up the doctrine that none but rich men, or white men, were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, their posterity should look up at the Declaration of Independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began..." ~Abraham Lincoln~
After this my mind went to the coins we carry in our pockets, and how only one was an anomaly. Abraham Lincoln, is the only president that has a colored coin.
Surprisingly, the color is brown/bronze and the coin is a penny; the lowest denomination. I thought to myself why is
Lincoln's presidency had to be documented but it would seem that a wise guy purposely made Lincoln's coin brown, as a way of calling him a "n***** lover?"
During slavery if a white person defended a black person...that's what they were branded as. Was the brown coin a way of denoucing Lincoln?
If you look closely Lincoln's face also glances to the right (for Republican), while the others look to the left (for Democrats, oh I'm sorry, Dixiecrats). Were they trying to call Lincoln a trader?
Think about it why does the penny have to be brown? Why can't it be silver like the others?
The Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...
2008 LA
I stumble across a quote by our 16th President Abraham Lincoln that read,
"Wise statesmen...established these great self-evident truths, that when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up the doctrine that none but rich men, or white men, were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, their posterity should look up at the Declaration of Independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began..." ~Abraham Lincoln~
In my head I attribute the latter to mean that some wise guys made up a certain law, which is shared amongst a select few, and decided that that law would be carried out by man or hidden entities who only have regard for one's own benefit or advantage; self-interest.
And that future generations should read the Declaration of Independence, and be courageous in renewing the battle for equality as he himself had to do.
And that future generations should read the Declaration of Independence, and be courageous in renewing the battle for equality as he himself had to do.
After this my mind went to the coins we carry in our pockets, and how only one was an anomaly. Abraham Lincoln, is the only president that has a colored coin.
Surprisingly, the color is brown/bronze and the coin is a penny; the lowest denomination. I thought to myself why is
this? Then I remembered that Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery; emancipating all slaves in the South in which many white Southerners weren't happy about losing their free labor and as a result, Lincoln was assassinated.
Lincoln's presidency had to be documented but it would seem that a wise guy purposely made Lincoln's coin brown, as a way of calling him a "n***** lover?" During slavery if a white person defended a black person...that's what they were branded as. Was the brown coin a way of denoucing Lincoln?
If you look closely Lincoln's face also glances to the right (for Republican), while the others look to the left (for Democrats, oh I'm sorry, Dixiecrats). Were they trying to call Lincoln a trader? Think about it why does the penny have to be brown? Why can't it be silver like the others?
The Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...
2008 LA
Great post. I've never thought about the penny in that way until I read what you wrote. Something to think about.
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