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Abraham Lincoln (February 12th, 1809- April 15th, 1865) Republican (National Union) (1861-1864)(1865- death) Hannibal Hamlin and Andrew Johnson

As the president put in charge of re-unifying America after Buchanan let it destroy itself, Abraham Lincoln did a fabulous job. He successfully lead the nation through the War and held it together, and rightfully deserves an A.

Lincoln's goals going into this presidency were to keep America united, and he successfully achieved this, through his powerful leadership.

Lincoln and Congress worked well together. They agreed upon many issues regarding the war and together passed many bills including the Homestead Act, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act, the Pacific Railways Acts, the Revenue Act, and more. Throughout his presidency, Lincoln only vetoed 4 bills, one being his pocket veto of the Wade-Davis bill.

The most positive outcome of Lincoln's presidency was the Emancipation Proclamation. This freed all slaves in states that were in rebellion against the United States. This then lead to the passing of the 13th amendment which freed all slaves in America, and the 14th amendment gave them their rights as citizens of the US. One of the few bad decisions made by Lincoln was the pocket veto of Wade-Davis Bill. Before that he had passed the 10% Plan which allowed the seceded states to re-enter the Union with only a 10% vote from their respective states. Northerners felt this was too easy a bargain and the Wade-Davis Bill was introduced, making it a 50% vote, which made more sense. However Lincoln vetoed this bill and the confederate states got off easy.

President Lincoln was soon to be one of the most famous and revered presidents, even by future presidents he was thought very highly of, and they attempt to lead America in a great way just like Lincoln did.

In conclusion, Abraham Lincoln was one of the best presidents of all time, for he held the nation together even when it was on the brink of destruction, and has earned his grade of an A.

Bibliography http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/lincolns_legacy_remains_strong_150years_later http://americanhistory.about.com/od/abrahamlincoln/p/plincoln.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_lincoln