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Abraham Lincoln February 12th, 1809 Hodgenville, Kentucky- April 15th, 1865 Washington D.C. Political Party: Republican Party (1854-1865) and National Union Party (1864-1865) Terms: March 4th, 1861- April 15th, 1865 (one term and a partial second term) Vice President: Hannibal Hamilton (March 4th 1861- March 4th, 1865) and Andrew Johnson (March 4th, 1865- April 15th, 1865)

During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, the country was in turmoil for civil war broke out between the Confederates and the Unionists. One of these vital battles in the war within our country was the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg occurred from July 1st, 1863 until July 3rd, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Before this time, Confederate General Robert E. Lee had previously won many victories along the middle states. Feeling confident and stationed in Northern Virginia, he decided to attempt to invade the North. He hoped to pressure the Northerners, namely President Lincoln, into seeking a peace settlement ending the war yet beginning the division of the United States. Lee’s army, about 75,000 strong, began traveling towards central Pennsylvania. However, the Union army’s General Meade became aware of the invading forces and with 95,000 men began pursuing them. When they met in Gettysburg, three days of battle ensued and ended when General Lee surrendered and the two armies parted ways. Overall. over 28,000 Confederate soldiers and 23,000 Union soldiers ended up dead or missing. The citizens, on returning to their war-torn town, came to find it in shambles. Almost every property was damaged, houses were looted, food and crops were destroyed or stolen, and wounded or dead soldiers lay scattered across the landscape. Four months later, Lincoln was to give his most famous speech, the Gettysburg Address, which inspired the Unionists to keep striving for democracy and a diverse yet combined country. This battle clearly impacted the presidency because it effected the outcome of the war, a war which Lincoln stood as the figurehead of. If the South were to have won, the Confederates would have been able to march into Washington D.C. with little resistance. At the time, Washington was still the center of the North and it may as well have crippled the North. But, because the South lost, they faced a detrimental loss of men and materials which continued throughout the remainder of the war. After this battle, it is commonly accepted that Lee no longer made any offensive moves, only defensive maneuvers to counteract the Unionists. Therefore, it can be determined as the turning point of the war. Without the successes the North faced at this battle, Lincoln would not be the widely celebrated president he is today and quite possibly, the United States may not exist. This win also shaped the American identity because it ensured the North would triumph over the South. If not, we could have had two countries, one even with slavery. Thus, there would be no America as we know it. Additionally, the thought process of Americans was changed at the time because it filled the North with a renewed sense of nationalism per-say and gave them another reason to keep fighting against succession. Today, Americans know it as the infamous battle that allowed the Unionists to win the war. It is still so vital in our country’s history that the battlefield was declared a national military park where citizens can admire the actions of past soldiers and appreciate the bravery of many.

Another historical event that occurred was the surrender between the Union and Confederate armies, ending the civil war. Leading up to this, on April 3rd, 1865, Richmond was overtaken by Union troops forcing Lee and his confederate army to flee to the west. Grant followed causing a cat and mouse chase. Finally, Grant initiated a meeting between the two generals for he felt it was his duty to prevent the spread of further violence due to the south’s impending loss. Although Lee argued the strength of his army, he agreed to meet Grant to discuss the terms of surrender. Arriving at the home of Wilmer McLean in Appomattox, Virginia on April 9th, 1865 Grant proposed the following terms; Lee’s men would not be imprisoned or prosecuted for treason, the defeated men may take their horses and mules home to finish the spring planting, and Grant would supply Lee’s army with food rations. With that said, Lee surrendered therefore ending the bloody civil war that spread across the country and once more uniting the North and South. This obviously impacted the presidency because it led to the United States no longer had two central governments where the power was split between Lincoln and Davis. The North and South once again became one country. Additionally, it was the end of slavery among all states and territories. It changed the thought process of Americans at the time because there were still feelings of sectionalism, but talk of succeeding ended. Additionally, it led to the elimination of slavery forcing the Southern plantations to rethink their economic stance. Although this wasn’t the final battle or surrender of the civil war, it was the most vital for other southern confederate armies followed suit. It altered the American Identity because if Lee wouldn’t have accepted the terms, the south would have fought to the death not only killing more innocent civilians but possibly altering the outcome of the war. Because this happened, Americans are viewed as a united country on one mass of land, not the Unionists and the Confederates.

 Abraham Lincoln is single-handedly the most famous president. Known for his standout height and tall stovepipe hat, he led our country through one of the most turbulent times in history, which we finished triumphant and changed for the better. If Lincoln were to be graded for his time in the white house, I would give him and A. He was able to put his own morals and values on slavery aside, allowing a portion of the border states to join the Union in the Civil War, severely hampering the South. Additionally, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, beginning the outlawing of slavery. Also, he guided the Union to victory in the Civil War, forcing the Confederacy to rejoin the Union and once again reunited the country. To add to it, he issued the National Banking Act, creating a more stable monetary system. Lastly, despite having increased powers during wartime, he made no tyrannical grab for power and only made decisions that benefited the whole country. He ignored the political pressures around him and followed his cocience. However, he did allow the rich to be excluded from the draft which caused much dismay among the Northern states, namely New York. Overall, Lincoln was an extraordinary President that was burdened with the task of overcoming our country’s feelings of sectionalism.

Within Lincoln’s inaugural address, he listed several specific goals. His major goal was to reassure the south that he had no intention nor the authority under the constitution to mess with slavery in the southern states. Additionally, he promised to enforce the fugitive slave laws and hinted at a constitutional amendment to protect slavery where it already existed. However, these ideas were only elaborated on in an attempt to seduce the south to remain within the Union. He felt that it was his duty to protect and hold the property belonging to the government and would do anything to do so. His specific goals were not well kept. However, his overall goal of a unified Union was kept intact because the Unionists ended up winning the war forcing the south to remain in the hands of the government. However, succession of the southern states was imminent so it was generally not his fault that these goals were not accomplished. In fact, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana broke apart from the Union before Lincoln was inaugurated. A little over a month after he took office, the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter. Overall, Lincoln was not the cause of the war and in no way could have prevented it. Sectionalism had already occurred before he could prevent it. Lincoln did however accomplish his last goal of keeping the Union intact. On April 9th, 1865 General Lee surrendered ending the civil war. Sadly, Lincoln was not alive to see the result because five days later, he was infamously assassinated. If the states had not succeeded before his term began, due to his everlasting faith in the continued united country, he would have completed his goals in his address such as the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act and the preservation of Slavery in the United States. Although he himself despised slavery, he put the country’s best interests before his own morals and beliefs as any president should.

 Lincoln’s relationship with congress was fairly strong. By maintaining the majority in both the House and Senate, he was fairly successful in all his ventures despite being criticized by his overuse of executive power. Within the House of Representatives, the republicans remained the majority during both the 37th and 38th sessions (1861-1865). The 37th session had 108 republicans to the democrats 44 (with 31 representatives registering as other) while the 38th session had 85 republicans to the democrats 72 (with 27 registering as other). Therefore, during his first term and his very short second, the majority of the house were within his party. The Senate was much the same. The 37th congress had 31 republicans outnumbering the democrats by 16 seats (with 3 unionists). Meanwhile, the 38th congress had 33 republican seats to the democrat’s 10 with 9 seats registered as some denomination of Unionist. It can be concluded that the Senate also favored Lincoln due to it’s high number of Republican seats. This is also proven in his actions during the presidency. For example, when the civil war broke out, he expanded his powers by imposing a blockade against the confederates, suspended habeas corpus, and dispersed federal funds before being approved by congress. Although these actions leaned towards tyrannical, the congress realized they were needed in order to restore the Union and backed him on all of them. Also, congress backed him on the much debated Emancipation Proclamation and the thirteenth amendment. Although Lincoln at first did not support the freeing of slaves, he devised this amendment and it passed through congress with a vote of 38-6 in the Senate and 119-56 in the House (after being voted down 93-65 nine months earlier in April 1864) showing Lincoln clearly had congress on his side. Even though the House voted it down the first time, this was only because at the time the bill was promoted as mainly a Republican bill, therefore a limited number of Democrats originally voted for it. Overall, Lincoln had a stronghold in congress allowing him to make vital war decisions and take imperative measures with relative ease.

 The action by the Lincoln administration that had the most positive outcome were the National Banking Acts in 1863 and 1864. This granted several charters to banks establishing a federal system of banks and treasuries. Additionally, it encouraged the development of a more stable national currency. Essentially, it also put non-federally issued money out of circulation. It eliminated the need for state banks which were under great political pressures and were easily bribed by the rich upper class or the current politicians. This was so positive because it created a more stable economy and a more trustworthy form of currency. Also, it eradicated banks that were influenced by their stockholders and those around them. This made it more fair for the lower working class. One of the most negative decisions that Lincoln and his administration passed was allowing the rich upper-class men to pay $300 to be excluded from the draft. This was not only an unfair advantage for them, but upset the working class men and the poorer classes. This was later drastically shown in the New York City draft riots. These riots were caused mostly by the unfair draft and caused between 120-2,000 deaths and 2,000-8,000 wounded residents. By allowing people to bypass participation in the war while others were forced to risk their lives on the battlefield questioned the very founding of our nation; freedom and equality.

 Lincoln and his cabinet made a lot of imperative decisions that set a precedent for future generations and impacted our country. One of the most vital decisions was the Emancipation Proclamation. This document, issued on January 1st, 1863, stated that all slaves within the rebelling states (confederate states) shall be declared free. This however, did not release states along the border that sided with the Union. This was only due to Lincoln’s fear that they would leave the Union if they were forced to free their slaves. But, the Emancipation Proclamation not only satisfied the northern abolitionists but led to the creation of the 13th amendment in 1865. Thus, this was important because it finally showed the Declaration of Independence rang true that “all men shall be created equal”. If the Emancipation Proclamation never occurred and the Union still won the Civil War, the states would have rejoined with slavery still present in the southern and western areas. We still would have the forced labor of African Americans on our soil therefore, this decision was the most important and had the greatest lasting effect. It was not the declaration of war between the states as many would think because that was inevitable. The feelings of sectionalism would have bubbled up either way, but some presidents would have thought it out of their power and a rash decision to banish slavery. However, Lincoln did not and thus made an everlasting impact on our nation.

 Despite being grotesquely assassinated at Fords Theater shortly after being inaugurated for his second term, he was well liked and respected by the American people. The country was better off after his presidency than before, thus he deserved his grade of an A. He successfully caused our country to emerge from the Civil War united and without slavery due to the 13th amendment. He also established the two national banking acts, eliminating shady state banks. Additionally, despite being given an excess of powers during a time of distress, he misused none and only implemented rules needed by the country. He only fell short of an A+ due to him allowing the rich to bypass the draft, causing riots. Essentially, despite coming from the lower-class, he is much the figurehead for the rags-to-riches story and accomplished much in his life before his early death. He had his priorities straight when serving as president, maintaining a combined country, and despite immense obstacles, accomplished this.

Works Cited "The Extraordinary Story of the Battle of Gettysburg." Gettysburg.com. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. [|. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Surrender at Appomattox, 1865." EyeWitness to History - History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. <[]>. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"The Thirteenth Amendment." Great American History - Free American History Educational Material. Great American History, 3 Oct. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. [|<http://www.greatamericanhistory.net/amendment.htm]>.