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Abraham Lincoln

Born: February 12, 1809 Died: April 15, 1865 Term 1: 1861-1865 Term 2: 1865-Assassination Vice President Term 1: Hannibal Hamlin Vice President Term 2: Andrew Johnson

Lincoln as a great president at a bad time in United States history. When he was elected into office in 1861, America was on the brink of a major civil war. The South was going to secede from the North for many reasons including slavery and the Kansas-Nebraska issue. Lincoln viewed this an illegal act towards the government and would not allow it. This led to the Civil War, the bloodiest battle fought on American soil. For his efforts before, during, and after this great historical time frame, he deserves an A. He led the country through a rough time a could have kept leading if it was not for his murder, ending his term and life.

Lincoln came into the White House at rough time. His most important goal during his presidency was to keep the South from seceding from the North so that the country would not split. The first states seceded when they heard that Lincoln had one the presidential election. He believed that the country would only hurt us and Europe would then have a run at the land. He ran for president under the Republican party which gives him such goals as a Pacific railroad, protective tariffs, and internal improvements paid for by the government. The country was also arguing about the issue of slavery and one of his goals was to abolish the ownership of slaves. This feat was accomplished when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This stated that all slaves in the Confederacy were now free. Another goal during his presidency was brought up during the Civil War. The North wanted to win over the votes of the border states. These states were important because of votes and for protection against the South. Also, Lincoln wanted to block off the South from any foreign aid. He felt that if European powers helped the South, it would only hurt the North and their attempts to keep the Union together. He achieved this by setting up a sea blockade which allowed no imports or exports of goods in the South. Also, one of Lincolns goals during the war was to increase the size of the Union army to defeat the South. To complete this, he held drafts to increase to deployment of men into the battle front. He needed these men to help win the war even though this was not his most liked decision. Overall, his initial goal of keeping the Union together was completed and was probably one of the most important events in American history but he also had many other small but important goals that he fulfilled.

Lincoln had a tough time with Congress during his presidency. Congress was mostly filled with Republicans, same party as Lincoln, but he had many disagreements with his fellow party members. At the begining of his term, he had very few problems with Congress because they allowed to pass bills without consulting Congress like the blockade put up in the South. As his term went on, problems grew with Congress. He was allowed to pass a couple bills like the Pacific Railroads Act and the Homestead Act but he did veto the Wade-Davis Act which was vetoing a Republican idea. This proved that there was some strain between Lincoln and Congress during his reign. Also, Lincoln and Congress at the time had different views on how to rebuild the Union and accept states back into the Union. Lincoln thought that only 10% of the state should propose allegiance but Congress believed that the percent should be a lot higher. By the end of Lincoln's term, the relationship between him and Congress was not the best.

Lincoln was a great president and he had many good things happen during his presidency but the most helpful for the country was the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation stated that any slave living in the Confederacy that was still fighting the North would be free but would not get the rights of a regular citizen. By doing this, the slaves were now viewed as people instead of property to other American citizens. The Confederacy did not listen to this statement until the war was over but it was a major step in freeing the slaves. This proclamation changed the view of the Northerners toward the war. It started a fire in the hearts of the Union to fight a war to free the slaves. it changed the entire mood for the war. Some people who were fighting for the Union were not overly thrilled with the proclamation because they signed up to fight to preserve the Union, not for slavery. This was going against what they inintially signed up to do. Some may have hated the proclamation but it started a movement to free the blacks which would continue for years to come so that they too can have rights of a citizen.

Lincoln might have been a great president but every great leader has some sort of a flaw within them. For Lincoln, he went against the Constitution many times during war. There were many actions that Lincoln ordered that were supposed to be checked by Congress but were not even though in the Constitution it states that Congress has the power to do said action. The most hated unconstitutional thing that Lincoln did was suspend the right of habeus corpus. The Constitution states that this can only be removed if Congress revoked it. He was throwing people in jail for stating their opinion about the war and how they supported the South. Him getting rid of habeus corpus gave Lincoln the right to throw people in jail without any reason or if there is a reason it did not matter. Another unconstitutional thing that Lincoln did was set up a blockade in the South so they could not inport or export goods. He did not consult with Congress before issuing the blockade which angered many politicians. Because of these things, people viewed Lincoln as a bad president but what president has not gone against the Constitution during times of war?

In conclusion, Lincoln was a great leader and would have continued being a great leader if it was not for his assassination. He had great plans for the future and rehabilitation for the country. Because of his great works during his term, Lincoln recieves an A. He held the Union together during the bloodiest war and helped free the slaves of the south. If he would not have gone against the constitution, he could have gotten a better grade. He had great plans for America. It is to bad that his life ended early so we could not see them unfold.

Bibliography

The American Pageant. Kennedy, David M., Cohen, Lizabeth, Bailey, Thomas A. Boston. 2002. Houghton Mifflin.

Abraham Lincoln. http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/abrahamlincoln.

Abraham Lincoln. http://sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/alincoln.html.