Matt+G.+-+Lincoln+-+F08

Born: February 12, 1809 Death: April 15, 1865 Political Party(s): Whig, Republican, National Union Dates of Term(s): 1860-1864, 1864-1865(assassinated while in office) Vice President (by term): Hannibal Hamlin (1861-1865) Andrew Johnson (1865) I believe that Abraham Lincoln deserves the grade of an A-. The goals of the Lincoln administration were to hold what was remaining of the Union together, bring the South back into the Union, and to free the slaves of the southern states of the United States of America. I believe that Lincoln deserved the grade of an A- because he successfully completed the goals of his presidency. Abraham Lincoln started out with a bad relationship with Congress. This is due to the fact that Congress was out of session when Lincoln took office and he was forced to take actions into his own hands. The actions that Lincoln took were reinforcing the troops at Fort Sumter, afterwards summoning upon the growth of the Federal Army, and finally setting up a Naval Brigade. Congress was upset with this at first, but then realized that it was necessary to have taken these actions. Lincoln was also able to turn the Northern Democrats into Republicans for the time being, which means he gained more support to pass further bills in Congress. The best thing that Lincoln could have done while he was in office was reuniting the Union somewhat. By restoring the Union and having the Federal Army win the Civil War, he was able to return the Union to what it was prior to the war. With the help of the Northern Democrats, Lincoln was able to gain support to diminish what was the Confederate States of America. Probably the worst thing that Lincoln did while in his presidency was taking action into his own hands while Congress was not in session at the beginning of his presidency. This started out bad because people were flared up because they believed that the president did not have that kind of power due to the checks and balances. However, it all worked out in the end for Lincoln because thanks to his action without Congress in session, it probably helped win the Civil War. The thing that Lincoln did to affect our society today was create the Emancipation Proclamation. Thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation, all of the slaves in the southern states that were not under control of Union Armed forces were set free. This document basically abolished slavery, as the people knew it in the 1800’s.  The country was much better off after Lincoln was out of office, other than the fact that John Wilkes Booth assassinated him. If Lincoln could have seen the South reinstated into the Union, his life probably would have been complete. The South would have been left off easier if Lincoln would not have died, but other than that, the country was much better off than before his presidency. This is why Lincoln deserves the grade of an A-.
 * Abraham Lincoln **

Bibliography:

"Abraham Lincoln." __Abraham Lincoln__. 30 Oct. 2008 http://sc94.ameslab.gov/tour/alincoln.html.

__American Pageant : Advanced Placement__. Boston: Houghton Mifflin College Division, 2001. 434-75.

"Biography of Abraham Lincoln." __White House__. 30 Oct. 2008 http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/al16.html.