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Abraham Lincoln February 12,1809- April 15,1865 Whig/Republican Terms in Office:(1861-1865) Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin

As 16th president of the United Stated Abraham Lincoln served during one of the hardest times in American history. Lincoln has something special about him that inspired people. He also exuded a great sense of power and righteousness. Hor his job as president I give him an A-. Although he held onto his personal beliefs and morals he was smart about keeping the states together when the union was on the brink of extinction. Everything going on around Lincoln put a lot of stress on him during his presidency. Most people noticed how much older he appeared to look because of the heavy issues wearing down on him. He was a strong character whom carried the weight of America on his back and suffered to withold the American ideal.

In 1854 Lincoln ran for president as a member of thw Whig party. Not only was Lincoln a whig but an abolitionist as well. In the beginning voting phases Lincoln actually wanted his supporters to vote for Trumbell so Matteson would not win. His party was already divided because of issues with the Kansas Nebraska Act. The Kansas Nebraska Act was a political debate over whether the territory would be open to slavery or free. The Missouri Compromise also dealt with the same issue around this time. Lincoln was also the vice president candidate for the Republican Party in 1856. The debate over slavert was the main drive of the presidential election. While Republicans backed Lincoln the democratic candidates, Buchanan and Douglas, were going head to head. Republicans prefered Douglas over Buchanan because he was against the Lecompton Constitution. The Lecompton Constitution would have allowed Kansas to become a slave state. Lincoln delivered a powerful speech about slavery because he knew the union would die if states continued to fight over it. In 1858 Lincoln and Douglas went against one another in a series of debates. In Douglas' "Freeport Doctrine" he talked about and supported popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty would allow the people in an area to decide whether they wanted slavery or not. On the other hans Lincoln's speech at Cooper Union was powerful enough to swade the minds of the American peoples.

At the Illinois Republican state convention Lincoln got an endorsement to run for the presidency. During this time the Dred Scott decision was tearing the nation in two opposite directions. Lincoln won over most of the free states and won the presidency. In 1860 South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas all considered themselves a new nation. Lincoln payed no attention to the new "so-called" confederacy. In order to reunite the union Lincoln attempted to ratify the Corwin amendment. Civil War eventually broke out in 1861 and Lincoln still had a long journey ahead of him.

Dealing with the Civil War was the toughest challenge the president took on. He was very involved in the war and wanted to defend Washington. To retain the union the president held the union flag but donated greatly to the south. In 1863 Lincoln allowed black soldiers to serve for the union army. He was also convinced that Grant didnt have enough political power to be the commander of the union army. Regardless, Grant was given authority by Lincoln to lead "Sherman's March" which caused millions of dollars worth of damage tot the south. The goal of the march was to weaken to morale of the southern troops. In order to achieve his goal of the extinction of slavery Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This freed the slaves in the states that were not apart of the union. Although slaves had their freedom most did not leave their masters because they had nowhere else to go. To comemorate the bloodiest battle in the Civil War Lincoln gave one of his most famous speeches also known as the "Gettysburg Address" Reconstruction of the union was in affect after the Civil War. As states reentered the union political disruption occured. Southern political leaders didnt have the same views and many democrats feared they would take over.

Lincoln made many important contributions after the war. He signed the Morill Tarriff in order to raise money for the government. Along with raising money for the government Lincoln also helped with the creation of a national financing system. Congress decided to create a department of agriculture without Lincolns support. All these measures were necessary because most of the money was drained becasue of the war. Lincolns assasination in 1865 shook the nation and people felt quite differently about it. Northerners were upset because they believed it was a conspiracy and the south celebrated. Regardless of others opinions Lincoln ("Honest Abe") remains one of Americas most famous and influential presidents. Somehow he managed to keep the union together, reconstruct our nation, and allowed us to set higher standards for ourselves.

Sources 1.) "Abraham Lincoln | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. . 2.) Americans., Native. "The History Place presents Abraham Lincoln." //The History Place//. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. . 3.) "The Official Web site of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum." //The Official Web site of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum//. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. .