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Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) Political Party: Republican (1861-64) National Union Party (1864-65) 2 terms (1861-1865) Vice Presidents: Hannibal Hamlin 1861-1865, Andrew Johnson 1865

Theme: Slavery and its legacies in North America

Abraham Lincolns whole presidency was based around one main point: Slavery. The goal of the civil war in retrospect was to free the slaves and give them citizenship. Lincoln was at the forefront of all of these efforts. He signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 creating the 13th amendment abolishing slavery. He was the man who ended slavery for the whole country and was able to create equality throughout the Union.

Abraham Lincoln was one of the finest presidents our nation has ever seen. He lead the Union during the Civil War, freed the slaves, and united our country after 4 long years of war. Unfortunately we only have 5 years to base his presidency off of because of his assassination in 1865. But for his 5 years in office, I give Abraham Lincoln an A+.

The goal of Lincoln need not be spoken, written, or seen. Everyone in that time knew that Lincoln’s goal was to reunite the United States. Some people believe that his goal was to free the slaves. That was just circumstantial of the battle to rejoin the union. He freed the slaves in 1863 because of the need for men, and the black’s willingness to join the cause. He of course would have freed the slaves eventually, but he did so sooner to save the country.

Abraham Lincoln had a very limited relationship with congress. Most of the measures he made in preparing for the civil war had to be pushed through so quickly, that he couldn’t send the issue to congress and used his executive power to do things himself. However he did have congress pass the emancipation proclamation of 1863 which freed all blacks. That was really the only contact he had with congress.

I believe Lincoln made no mistakes that were significant enough to be considered negative. That being said, he had 2 very positive decisions that affected the nation. The first of course being the civil war. Lincoln wanted the country to remain united, and with the south’s secession, that was not possible. Some people believe he could have handled it diplomatically but in all honest truth he had lost all diplomatic opportunity before he even got into office due to James Buchanan. So the war was the only real way of uniting the country again.

His second big decision, again a positive one, came because of the war. In the year 1863 the Union army was short on troops, forcing a draft. Blacks all over the union wanted to serve. The Emancipation Proclamation set free all slaves in the nation, meaning, free south slaves could pick up arms against their owners once they had been freed by union soldiers.

The Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves in 1863 changed the whole nation. It created a whole new country because now all blacks were free and were afforded the rights of American citizens. This being said they were not treated the same until a century later during the civil rights movements of the 1960’s. But still, freeing the slaves gave blacks all new opportunities and all new experiences. They were humans now instead of slaves.

So for all those reasons, I don't see why Abraham Lincoln doesn't deserve an A+. He was a strong dependable leader who the Union needed during the civil war. He created one of America's biggest amendments in the Emancipation Proclamation, and by doing that, inspired generations of Black Americans to stand up and fight for freedom and equality. He made the country better and he reunited the nation. If his Presidency was a test, he would've gotten nothing less then a perfect score.

"Abraham Lincoln." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. . //American Pagent//. Houghton Mifflin College Div, 2004. Print. "Abraham Lincoln." //The White House//. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .