Reply #182: It wasn't a matter of Blacks being "forced" to work...

[pookastew]

It was whether they would be allowed to--for pay. They wanted to work, and they wanted to fight in the war. The "progressive" view was to let them, and pay them the same as whites.

You know, the paragraph you cited actually paints a very, very positive view of Forbes:

lobbied for a speedy emancipation proclamation. (to free the slaves)

sent relief to Union prisoners in the Confederate Libby Prison

promoted the Sanitary Commission

supported the Freedman's Commission (to help freed slaves)

worked for the Committee of Correspondence for the Vigorous Prosecution of the War (to end slavery)

formed the Committee of One Hundred for Promoting the Use of Negroes as Soldiers (this was the non-racist position. Racists didn't want to let them fight in the war).

the secret mission to England in 1863 to procure funds and to prevent the delivery to the Confederacy of two ironclad ships being built in Liverpool. (The British were secretly building ships for the Confederacy)

Forbes had a number of ideas of how to put freed slaves to work. (not "force" them to work--allow them to work--for pay. One of the pro-slavery arguments at the time was, "what are we going to do with all the Blacks if they're free?" The hidden message was, we can't let them take white jobs.)

His company attempted in 1862 to replace striking firemen on the Michigan Central Railroad with blacks. (Replacing strikers ain't so nice, but he may have been just firing a shot across the bow of white workers, letting them know he was willing to give their jobs to Blacks so they'd better get used to it. Not use Blacks to work for free, but hire them--for pay. Up til then whites had a lock on the good paying jobs.)

After black troops were authorized, he supported equal pay for them. (See? Even after Blacks were allowed to join the army they were paid less. He opposed that.)

During the draft riots in New York City, Forbes suggested using black troops to maintain order. (Again, this suggests to me he was sending a signal to whites that the free ride on the back of Blacks was ending.)

A very positive history of Forbes. And btw, opium was legal back then.