President-elect Lincoln to his confidants: "The people of the South do not know us. They are not allowed to receive Republican papers down there.

Harold Holzer
About This Quote

President-elect Lincoln to his confidants, "The people of the South do not know us. They are not allowed to receive Republican papers down there." The statement, "The people of the South do not know us," is a bit misleading. The South did know President Lincoln and many of his men and women knew the Confederate soldiers quite well. The idea was that during the Civil War, Northerners were better educated and more civilized than Southerners.

As such, Southerners looked down on the northerners and refused to respect them. Hence, Northerners had to work hard to rebuild their reputation after the war. This quote may also be interpreted as "We are better than you" or "We would rather be in your shoes than in your company."

Source: Lincoln And The Power Of The Press: The War For Public Opinion

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