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Do you remember Salmon P. Chase?
He was Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury and went on to serve as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. According to Wiki he was an anti-slavery activist who frequently defended fugitive slaves in court. In 1841 he became the leader of Ohio's Liberty Party. But 1848, he helped establish the Free Soil Party.
Chase helped establish the Republican Party, which opposed the extension of slavery into the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska and even ran in what today we would call a primary against Lincoln for the Republican domination in 1860. He lost that primary of course and Lincoln asked him to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. Chase served in that position from 1861 to 1864, working hard to ensure the Union was well-financed during the Civil War.
Ever wonder how "In God We Trust" ended up on the U.S. Dollar ?
Chase apparently felt adding a religious note to our cash was a good call, so he instructed the director of the Philadelphia Mint to come up with "a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition." The Mint's staff suggested "Our Country, Our God" or "God, Our Trust."
Chase liked these ideas, but he changed one of them to "In God We Trust." Congress approved the change in 1864, and "In God We Trust" has appeared intermittently on coins and bills ever since.
Wiki has a lot of information on Chase and Ethan Trex has an extensive blog on his tragic personal life that today would warrant an investigation. The so called Civil War era was a turbulent time for America, a delve into Salmon P. Chase could well help us understand where we are today. As one of the founders of the Republican Party I think it is enlightening that he eventually wound up a Democrat.
Slavery wasn't a moral issue for many of these men, including Abraham Lincoln. We have numerous quotes to suggest it was much more economics driven with moral outrage from all sides of the political arena. New parties were being formed to better represent States Sovereignty and protect human rights. Today we see a much clearer picture of right / wrong, left / right paradigm. At least on the surface. Digging a little deeper exposes how many times economics overrides morality for many on both sides. We are all flawed...
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_P._Chase
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas%E2%80%93Nebraska_Act
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Compromise
http://mentalfloss.com/article/24750/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-salmon-chase
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE2Vj2OL-D1idPqql_xvg3g
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_denominations_of_United_States_currency
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