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Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 Log Cabin, Hardin County, Kentucky – April 14, 1865 Ford’s Theatre, Washington D.C.   Political Party: Republican    Terms: March 4, 1861- April 14, 1865    Vice Presidents: Hannibal Hamlin in 1861-1865 and Andrew Johnson in 1865-1869

A minority and sectional President, Abraham Lincoln’s victory for the Republican Party proved to have a vast importance for the oncoming civil war. As Lincoln stepped into office, he strove to break apart the Confederate States of America and preserve the Union with the abolition of slavery. Lincoln, well known for his short but brilliant speeches captivated the masses with his brilliant Emancipation Proclamation. Credited with winning the hearts of white and black Americans, the Emancipation Proclamation declared all slaves free. The Proclamation reconstructed the Union cause for war and declared the Union would fight until all slaves were free. Lincoln’s timing and writing could not have been better since he released the Emancipation Proclamation following the decisive Union victory at Antietam. Although Lincoln solidified the Union, dealings with the Indians proved to be hazardous during his Presidency. As the Civil War was pressing on, war with the Indians was flaring in the Colorado. As the Indians thought peaceful negotiations were taking place to end the nefarious war, Americans scalped and killed women, children, and the elderly at the orders of a commander who stated, “I want no peace till the Indians suffer more.” After a thorough but indecisive investigation with eyewitness accounts, not a single soldier was found guilty during the Sand Creek Massacre. A Presidency plagued with treacherous wars, Lincoln proved to be the right person in the right place. No other person could have united the Union and tactically carried out the war for the right cause as he did. Acting masterfully in most all situations, Lincoln deserves an A+ for enforcing a global declaration against the evils of slavery and reinvigorating a strong United States of America.
 * Thematic Context **

Abraham Lincoln and his administration deserve an A+ for their contributions to globalization throughout their time in office. Lincoln was forced into a divided America because of the secession and formation of the Confederate States of America. Realizing the whole world was watching the events unfolding in America, Lincoln strove to forcibly defend his homeland and preserve the Union at it own expense. Although many questioned the extent of his use of presidential power, Lincoln did only what he deemed crucial to win the war. With his ability to deny foreign support to Southerners, progress the economy in the North, and unfold a brilliant battle plan, Lincoln drove the country through civil war to free slaves and unite the country making him one of the greatest Presidents of all time.
 * Thesis **

Perhaps faced with the greatest difficulty in the Presidency up to his time, Lincoln began his speech in a way to peaceably unite the South once again to the North. Lincoln reaffirmed the people’s trust in him and vowed, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery where it exists.” By declaring his allegiance to the North and South, Lincoln vowed to form a more perfect Union. In doing so he argued the legality of succession and declared the Union less perfect, “having lost the vital element of perpetuity.” As a former lawyer, Lincoln defended his view of the Constitution and considered the Union unbroken. If the Union were broken, would anarchy not ensue Lincoln questioned. With more evidence, Lincoln denied succession on the premise that succession is not possible because the United States cannot physically separate between the North and the South. Lincoln states, “We cannot remove our respective sections from each other nor build an impassable wall between them.” As Lincoln progresses through his speech, he uses his legal background to defend the right of the people to amend the Constitution and overthrow the government with revolutionary rights. Lincoln finishes with an emotional appeal attempting to marry the North once again to the South. “I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.” Throughout his speech, it was evident Lincoln was trying to avoid war and make a peaceful solution to the evil of succession. In his second speech, with the challenge of reconstructing the Union, Lincoln defended the religious cause of the war and a declared the southern slaves a powerful interest of the war. Although the war was drawn out much longer and bloodier than expected, Lincoln declared the cause noble.
 * Goals **

During Lincoln’s Presidency, Republicans held the majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives. At the start of Lincoln’s Presidency, Lincoln used his Presidential power to go beyond Congress, such as when he declared martial law to send troops to Maryland in order to make sure the District of Columbia could not be cut off from the North. Lincoln even deployed federal troops to Virginia and Missouri to fight in localized civil wars in an attempt to win over the vital border states. Although Lincoln used his power forcibly, Congress approved Lincoln’s use of power and deemed them used only to preserve the Union. Lincoln also worked well with Congress when Congress abolished slavery in the District of Columbia. Congresses actions later fell in line with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, as the law freed slaves in the Capital. However, Lincoln had his own conflicts with Congress. After the Crittenden amendments were proposed, which called for slavery to be permitted under the 36 degree 30 minute line, while slavery was prohibited north of the same line, Lincoln rejected the amendments because Lincoln thought they, “Would amount to a perpetual covenant of war against every people, tribe, and state owning a foot of land between here and the Tierra del Fuego.” Likewise, Lincoln was forced to defy Congress by increasing the size of the Federal Army, securing money for private citizens for military purposes, and supervising voting in Border States, all while Congress was not in session. Lincoln and Congress never perfectly saw eye to eye, but fought for the same cause in the end.
 * Relationship With Congress **

Lincoln’s most positive action during his Presidency was the Emancipation Proclamation. In his Proclamation, Lincoln declared slaves in Confederate states still in rebellion “forever free.” Lincoln’s declaration, heard and understood by many slaves, began a push for thousands of slaves to join the Union Army. Black regiments took the Union Arm by storm and although African Americans represented one percent of the population of the United States, they represented ten percent of the Union Army. Lincoln’s greatest achievement with the Proclamation was the solidification of the war’s cause. Lincoln bolstered the moral cause domestically and in foreign countries. Although some foreign countries sympathize southern protesters of the Proclamation, others fearing giving aid as they thought their people would rebel against the government for trying to defy the just cause. Timed to perfection, Lincoln planned out every aspect of his brilliant document and delivered it following a Union victory at Antietam. In doing so, Lincoln shattered any hope of a negotiation settlement between the Union and the South. Lincoln stated, “The character of the war has just changed. It will be one of subjugation...The (old) South is to be destroyed and replaced by new propositions and ideas.” The Emancipation Proclamation proved to be timely and foreshadowed the destruction of slavery, the thirteenth amendment, and reconstruction. With the stroke of his pen, Lincoln had essentially ended the still ongoing war.
 * Positive Event **

Lincoln’s most negative action came in the form of the suspension of the privilege of habeas corpus. A legal right by which requires an arrested person to be brought before a judge or into court, habeas corpus was unlawfully taken away from many citizens during Lincoln’s term. Although a prolific lawyer, Lincoln defied a previous Supreme Court ruling which stated habeas corpus could only be removed by Congress. Arresting innocent citizens for obstructing war, Lincoln created dangerous precedents. His wartime display of Presidential powers could have led the wavering border states to join the pro-states rights South, whose President Jefferson Davis could not infringe upon their rights in that manner without severe criticism. Lincoln could have manufactured a dangerous example for future Presidents elected in times of war. His actions questioned the bounds of Presidential power and instilled fear in the hearts of Northerners hoping to preserve the Union, not destroy it.
 * Negative Event **

Lincoln’s most influential decision came in the form of the Emancipation Proclamation. Proving courageous, Lincoln changed the desire of war with his brilliant document. Although there was fear some of the Union soldiers in border states would abandon the army because of a moral cause to free slaves instead of to preserve the Union, Lincoln issued the document. “Father Abraham” instilled in the hearts of Americans that fellow African Americans meant more than the economic benefits of slavery. Lincoln showed future Presidents and politicians that a America must always follow moral standards. That a President can stand before a divided nation and win over the nation by an act of kindness, not an act of war. Lincoln left America with an extraordinary example of determination and leadership. His strength of character would last generations and his words would inspire many to embrace their humble origins and fight for what they believed was just.
 * Influential Decision **

Following Lincoln’s death, America was left in a better state than it had been before his term in office. Previous Presidents had given Lincoln one of the toughest challenges a President would ever face in office, as it seemed each President before Lincoln simply harbored sectionalism and never dealt directly with the issue. Although the South was in a noticeable economic and social depression, Lincoln had cured the country of its greatest devastation. Lincoln had drove the country through a Civil War and did what needed to be done to win for the right cause. He demonstrated to foreign countries the strength and resiliency of America and would set reconstruction in motion, which would drive America’s economy forward. Most importantly, Lincoln showed the country could live in harmony not divided, but as one. Unknowingly, Lincoln would provide future Presidents an example of a model character. Lincoln’s words would be used in future generations to captivate Americans the same way Lincoln had intended in his time. Lincoln once said, “I do not think much of a man who is not much wiser today than he was yesterday.” A man of his word, “honest abe” left America much wiser than it once was.
 * Conclusion **


 * Works Cited **

Abraham Lincoln: "Inaugural Address," March 4, 1861. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25818.

Abraham Lincoln: "Inaugural Address," March 4, 1865. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25819.

Bailey, Thomas Andrew, David M. Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.

Norton, R.J. "The Accomplishments of President Abraham Lincoln." The Accomplishments of President Abraham Lincoln. The Research Site of Abraham Lincoln, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. .

Wikipedia contributors. "Abraham Lincoln." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Apr. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.

Wikipedia contributors. "37th United States Congress." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.