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President’s full name : Abraham Lincoln Vice President by term :Andrew Johnson (Both Terms) Birth/Death dates: February 12, 1809/April 15, 1865 Political party of the president : Republican Dates of the term or terms of office : First Term: (1861-1865) Second Term: (1865-1865)

=Theme-Environment:= During the Civil War the entire southern part of America was decimated. When the Emancipation Proclamation was received in the south, many slaves left the fields to head north to secured freedom. With the lack of laborers fields were left barren of crops or only containing small amounts that farmers could plant themselves. Without the steady hand of slave labor crops were not reached in time and died, destroying the harvest of that year. Many southern planters lost much of their income and highly disliked Lincoln because of it. With slaves now freemen many signed sharecropping agreements which would soon bring the fields back to life. The president was then left with providing food for those with little or none through places such as the Freedman's Bureau. But even the lack of workers didn't harm the environment as much as Sherman's warpath did.Sherman was a Union general that exemplified "total war" as he and his miles long band of soldiers rampaged across Georgia. Completely wiping out entire cities with fire and pillaging fields and animals, these soldiers were somewhat ruthless. Many a fields were trampled and stripped clean of any crops, leaving the southern farmers with little food for the winter. The victories of Sherman gained Lincoln popularity throughout the north and allowed for him to be reelected as president, which allowed the Union to win the war.

=Analysis:= “With malice toward none; with charity for all," Abraham Lincoln saved the Union from near annialation, and brought about the freedom of thousands of blacks. Lincoln exemplified in every action of his presidency that he truly cared about the Union and the Constitution of the United States, even when people were shouting explicits at him and calling for his death. With his handling of Confederate attacks on Fort Sumter, and his decisive move of announcing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln stepped up to the plate and pulled America from the brink of destruction, fully earning the Grade of A+.

As president of a country on the brink of a civil war it was extremely important for him to set strong goals for the country. Lincoln accomplished this by clearly laying down his goals and beliefs in his inaugural address. Many times he expressed that he had no intent to directly or indirectly impede upon slavery where it already existed, despite his own moral qualms with it. He also directed that protection of states' rights would be given equally to all states. Above all else Lincoln sets a goal to protect the values and laws set forth in the Constitution and keep the Union together. Overall, Lincoln accomplishes these goals, though it may not seem as such. Had it not been for the seceded states attacking the Union continuously Lincoln would not have used the chance of victory to gain freedom for slaves. This goal also touches on another goal, which was to not enter into war with his American brothers unless violence was pushed upon the Union. This goal was clearly accomplished though in a less than favorable manner. With the Confederate firing upon Fort Sumter Lincoln was left with no choice but to call forth a militia to protect the Union, which he successfully did. Lincoln further accomplished his goals as president with his 10% plan. The 10% plan required 10% of a southern state's population to swear allegiance to the United States when voting in order to be readmitted to the Union. This minimalistic plan granted southern states equal protection under the Constitution just like that of the northern states, including sovereignty and suffrage. Despite the outward view that the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation went against the goals of Lincoln, they in fact proved the rule.

History shows that most presidents don't have the best relationships with Congress. In Lincoln's presidency this also proves true. From the outset Lincoln was disliked by most of the south. In fact, once Lincoln was elected South Carolina formed a convention of seccesion and proceeded to seceded from the Union because of thier dislike. Less than half of the country voted for Lincoln in the election, possibly because of the large amount of candidates, and it showed in the Congresses criticism. Then, to top it all off, all except the first six weeks of Lincoln's Presidency and right before his assassination the Civil War was the main affair in the nation. Due to this fact, Lincoln exercised much of his executive power as Commander in Chief, leading to much criticism. The stretch of executive power that most gained outcries was his suspension of habeus corpus during war time. This meant that people could be held for an indefinite amount of time without trial. Many of the Congress were upset at this stretch, but it proved to keep order and loyalty in the Union states. While nearing the end of his second term the war was going badly, and tempers against Lincoln were flaring. Lincoln was reelected by sheer luck when the battle at Antietam was won by Union and swung the vote in Lincoln's favor. The remaining dislike of Lincoln and his Republican policies was still seen in the House; however, when the Democrat seats nearly doubled towards the end of his first term. Despite outcries of foul, the Congress permitted Lincoln to use his power to lead the Union into victory.

Lincoln's presidency is highly up to interpretation. The most negative aspect of the presidency could also be considered the most positive. Take the aforementioned stance, the most negative action of Lincoln's presidency would be his decision to send provisions to Fort Sumter. With the ability to abandon the fort and choosing not to, he crossed a very precarious line that led to hundreds of thousands of deaths. If the fort had been urrendered the soldiers there would have been released back ot the north and a war would not have been started. On the other hand, his response to the Confederate firing at Fort Sumter of immediatly summoning a milita and forming the Union army eventually led to the freedom of thousands of slaves and their millions of future offspring. This is the most positive action for the previously mentioned reason, but also becuase it showed Lincoln's quick thinking and great leadership skills in times of crisis.

Besides George Washington, Abraham Lincoln's presidency had the most impact on future generations. To narrow such an important presidency down is difficult, but leaves one action standing firmly above the rest. The Emancipation Proclamation was by far the greatest impact of Lincoln's presidency on future generations. In the short term, the Emancipation Proclamation plagued Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson's presidency with reconstruction of an entirely new economic and social structure. One deeply infused with biases and prejudice. The unsure freedom of blacks led to many lynchings and much confusion. In the long term, blacks were freed to become equal in America and eventually be permited to vote and hold public office. If it hadn't been for the Emancipation Proclamation exterminating slavery, we would not have our current president. Simply be looking to the White house in present day, it is possible to see how much of an impact the Emancipation proclamation had on future generations.

President Abraham Lincoln left a lasting impression on the world with his actions during the Civil War. Saving the Union and re-forming America, Lincoln proved that he was up to any curve balls presidency had to throw at him. Lincoln truley seized the day with the Emancipation Proclamation and his use of executive power. By the end of his terms he had brought the country to a somewhat peace that was far from the edge of the cliff the country was at prior to his administration. With such an apt job of being president, and with no flaws to be seen in his presidency, Abraham Lincoln clearly deserves an A+.

= Bibliography: =

Basler, Roy P.. "American President: Abraham Lincoln." //Miller Center//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

The Lincoln Institute. "Abraham Lincoln and Members of Congress - Abraham Lincoln's Classroom." //Abraham Lincoln's Classroom: support for scholars studying Abraham Lincoln.//. The Lincoln Institute, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

Office of the Clerk. "Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Art & History - Party Divisions." //Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Art & History - Art & History Home//. House of Representatives, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2011. <[]>.

"U.S. Senate: Art & History Home > Origins & Development > Party Division." //U.S. Senate//. Senate, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2011. <[]>.