Alex+S.+-+AL+-+FA09

**Abraham Lincoln:**
Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the most successful and popular presidents in all of America’s history. He is known for freeing the slaves from the human bondage that took place in the United States. Lincoln was a very good president but an even better leader. America really needed a leader during the pre-Civil War period and during it. Abe Lincoln receives a solid A. While campaigning, Lincoln never commented on the issue of slavery, in fear of losing votes. He decided that he wanted to free the slaves until after the war had begun. His main goal was to preserve the Union, which he accomplished. Just about every decision he made during the war was a good one. He fought until the South was defeated. During the war Lincoln had a good relationship with Congress. For the most part he made all of the decisions dealing with the war. Congress kind of just stayed out of his way or supported what he wanted because they also wanted to save the Union. He made many decisions Congress usually made while they were not in session. Abe and the Congressmen stopped seeing eye to eye after the war was over the reconstruction was the next step. Lincoln wanted the seceded states to be entered into the Union again smoothly and swiftly but Congress wanted to make it more difficult because they thought the states should be punished. Lincoln came up with the Ten Percent Plan, which required only 10% of voters to pledge allegiance to the Union to be allowed back in. Congress came up with the Wade-Davis bill, which Lincoln wisely pocket-vetoed. The Wade-Davis Bill required 50% to take the oath. Overall though, it was a good relationship. Although the Civil War had many bad side effects it was the best decision Lincoln made. This preserved the Union. His Emancipation Proclamation was a very, very close second. This freed all the slaves in the Southern states. Then the 13th Amendment freed all the Slaves. That decision changed the whole nature of the war and motivated many Union troops. The Homestead Act was another good decision because it gave land to people moving west. This really helped the expansion and growth of the nation. The Morill Act helped create more colleges and higher education institutes. The National Banking Act was good too. It supported a national currency. Lincoln was full of good decision with few to none poor ones. He had a great influence on the whole nation. The 13th Amendment freed all the slaves in the nation. This affected most of the population and created many new issues, such as segregation, the KKK, civil rights etc. Even though many problems arose this was a fantastic decision. He also kept the Union together which was a big influence; if the Confederation would of won the United Stated would not be what it is today. In conclusion, Lincoln was one of the best presidents ever. He was a great leader that made wise decisions. He ended slavery, in America, and saved the Union. Abe deserve the highest-ranking possible, which is an A.
 * Born:** February 12, 1809
 * Died:** April 14, 1865
 * Term:** 1861 - 1865
 * Vice President:** Hannibal Hamlin
 * Term:** Assassinated in 1865 after elected
 * Vice President:** Andrew Johnson
 * Political Party:** Republican
 * Overview:**

Works Cited

Degregorio, William A. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 2005. Print. "The Accomplishments of President Abraham Lincoln." The Accomplishments of President Abraham Lincoln. 29 Dec. 1996. Web. 31 Oct. 2009. .