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=**Abraham Lincoln ** =

// Vice President: Andrew Johnson //
//Lincoln// //by far was the best president this country has ever had the privilege of having which earns him a grade of an A. Besides being the best president, I believe he had the hardest job, with the fact he had to guide the country through its toughest years, with the Civil War. Most people, who lived in the// //Union////, North, favored// //Lincoln// //over all of the other presidents. Not only did he reunite the country, but he abolished slavery for ever as well as ensured the country with a positive and bright future.//

//As president, headed into a rough term,// //Lincoln// //had many positive goals he wished to accomplish. First he decided to go to war with the South, in order to try to keep this country together and bonded as a whole. This was known as the Civil War. From 1861 to 1865 the Civil War took place. At the start of the war the main goal for the fighting was to retrieve the 11 southern states that had seceded from the// //Union////. Then the issue of slavery got involved with it. In September of 1862,// //Lincoln// //issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This was a proclamation, which went into effect on// //January 1, 1863////, that freed all slaves from the Confederate states that were still involved in the war. This was a huge accomplishment for// //Lincoln////, that he was able to give freedom to all slaves.//

//During the war// //Lincoln// //focused on North’s economy. Their economy was much better than the South’s but there was still room for improvement. He set up a blockade to hurt the South’s economy so they could not trade cotton with// //Britain////, who ended up developing their version of the cotton gin, and did not need to South anymore.// //Lincoln// //also wanted to develop an extremely strong military. At first, their military could not with-stand the South’s but eventually Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant to be the commander of all Union armies, which helped lead to the South surrendering. Without Grant, the war could have been easily over within a year or two, but with his help, led to the winning of the war for the// //Union////, uniting the country once more.//

//Over all// //Lincoln// //had a great relationship with Congress. His relationship was so strong that he only had to veto 4 bills in his all 4 years in office. While in office he did pass numerous law one being the Homestead Act of 1862, which granted public land to squatters, a citizen or a person that was about to become a citizen. He also passes the Morrill Act of 1862 which was land that was given to the government that were to be sold in order to finance agriculture and mechanical arts colleges. Lincoln also approved the Pacific Railroad Acts of 1862 and 1864, which extended westward and was the first transcontinental railroad. Finally Lincoln helped set up a strong financial system, that included the National Bank Acts. Occasionally// //Lincoln// //would spend war funds prior to approval from Congress, but did not need their approval because for the most part, they always agreed on the same things making their relationship a good one.//

//In// //Lincoln////’s presidency he accomplished numerous acts that got him noticed through out history, but his most outstanding accomplishment by far would be his issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation was a proclamation that freed all the slaves in the Confederate states that were still in war with the// //Union////. Since he issued this law, slaves were freed forever, and have yet to go back in bondage. This event has probably been one of the most outstanding for the African Americans and for freedom acts in general. The Emancipation Proclamation was a huge stepping stone towards unification.//

//Overall// //Lincoln// //did not make any bad decisions that a lot of people frowned upon. Although, there were some decisions that he made that were mistakes, but in the long run help the country significantly. For one// //Lincoln// //made many decisions that went against the constitution, and he also suspended Habeas Corpus and imprisoned 18,000 rebels. Finally// //Lincoln// //also spent some money from private accounts without Congressional approval, but it all went towards the war which then helped the// //Union////. Even though// //Lincoln// //would make these mistakes, it always seemed he had// //America////’s best interests in mind, and always knew what would be best for the country.//

//Over the years,// //Lincoln// //has been the most influential president in my opinion. He is the one who has helped unite the country and also completely eliminate slavery. Without him taking the reigns and accomplishing all of that, i am not sure when and if it would have ever happened. For all we know if// //Lincoln// //had not issued the Emancipation Proclamation we could still be suffering from slavery, in the// //United States////. It is easy to say that our country is not much different because of Abraham Lincoln, and it has all changed for the better.//

//I think it is safe to say the Abraham Lincoln has been the best president to date. He unified the country in our toughest time as well as abolished slavery forever. Six days after the war ended, during// //Lincoln////’s second term, he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.// //Lincoln// //was almost luck when he was killed, because he did not have to deal with the country falling apart with the trying to reconstruct from the war. Lincoln served best for his war efforts and made a long time lasting effect on the country, from thence he shall be remember for many new ages to come as the best president in history. That is why he is so deserving of a grade of an A!//


 * Bibliography**

"Abraham Lincoln." //The White House//. Web. 29 Oct. 2009. "Abraham Lincoln." Web. 30 Oct. 2009. DeGregorio, William A. //The Complete Book of// //U.S.// //Presidents//. Fort Lee: Barricade Books Inc., 2009. Print. Norton, R. J. "AN OVERVIEW OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S LIFE." //Abraham Lincoln Research Site//. 29 Dec. 1996. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.

