Lincoln personally revoked the order and demanded the reinstatement. But his most telling commitment to equal opportunity for all comes in his response to friends who sought to enlist him in the antiCatholic KnowNothing Party. Lincoln said: As a nation. we began by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal. except negroes." When the KnowNothings get control. it will read "all men are created equal. except negroes. and foreigners. and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving libertyto Russia for instance. where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy. From Randy Shilts exhaustive study. "Conduct Unbecoming." we read: When pressed about why black soldiers were not allowed into combat. for example. Secretary of War Henry Stimson told congressmen that military studies had found that "many of the Negro units have been unable to master efficiently the techniques of modern weapons." Perhaps no soldier was as outspoken about segregation as Major General Thomas Holcomb. commandant of the Marine Corps. who maintained It would be "absolutely tragic" if blacks were integrated into the services. "If it were a question of having a Marine Corps of 5.000 whites or 250.000 Negroes.
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