Alex+D.+-+AL+-+SP10



February 12, 1809-April 15, 1865 Political Affiliation: Republican Presidential Terms: March 4, 1861-April 15, 1865 (Assassination) Term One: 1861-1864 Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin Term Two: 1864-1865 (Death) Vice President: Andrew Johnson
 * Abraham Lincoln**

Abraham Lincoln is an American icon and a true depiction of what American society has built itself around. “Honest Abe” led America through debatably the most difficult part of all American history, the American Civil War. This conflict stood as a turning point for America and could have ended up much differently had Lincoln’s led North failed in their mission to prevent secession. Although Lincoln stamped upon the Constitution more than once and sacrificed several civil liberties at the stake of the war, his success in this monumental conflict earns him an “A” as the sixteenth president of the United States.
 * Thesis**

Lincoln’s primary goal in office was the sustained preservation of the Union. Had the Civil War not occurred in the beginning of his presidency Lincoln’s entire political agenda could have been drastically different. Lincoln saw and understood that without unity between the North and the South, both regions could be easily attacked and conquered by the still somewhat hostile Europe. Upon entering office he declared that he would preserve the union, whether slavery be maintained or not. It is a popular misconception to believe that Lincoln’s purpose was exclusively the emancipation of the slaves, for in actuality, Lincoln felt that it was not his place as the President to intervene in that affair and that the decision should be left to the states as it had been with popular sovereignty. It wasn’t until later in his presidency (1862) that he began to draft the historic “Emancipation Proclamation” which gained popularity with the ages and contributed greatly to the freedom of the slaves. The emancipation of the slaves was only part of Lincoln’s plan for Union success. In fact he had a six tiered plan to achieve success in the American Civil War. This system is as follows: Lincoln’s plan was simple but proved effective in attaining his most important goal during his presidency, preserving the Union, North and South.
 * Lincoln’s Goals in Office**
 * 1) Blockade all Southern ports and eliminate their trade with foreign nations. This was a very important step in Lincoln’s plan. As a siege this would constrict the South from the Atlantic and important arms and food shipments they may be able to obtain through trade. This part of the plan however was somewhat fallible. Smugglers in search of making a living found their way through the Northern blockade. For the most part though, the North did contain the South and restrict their European trade. The South now needed to turn to the Mississippi river and westward for support.
 * 2) Most noteworthy of all of Lincoln’s plans to defeat the South was the emancipation of the slaves to destroy the Southern economy. Lincoln did not devise this phase until later in the war, and even when he did make the Emancipation Proclamation it was not received well by much of anyone, North or South, and did not have much lasting impact until later. The Southern slaves were disconnected from the news and had no way of even knowing that they had been emancipated. When they did hear news of it they either distrusted it or felt loyal to their masters and decided not to leave. However, in the North many freed blacks fought in the Union Army and played a role in Union success later in the war.
 * 3) Gain control of the Mississippi in order to divide Confederate troops and supplies. This was one of the strongest moves the Union made against the Confederacy. It destroyed Confederacy hopes in the west, and with the last of the forts lining the Mississippi conquered, the South lost a valuable resource in the form of supplies and resources. This action can be strongly attributed to Union success, as once this was seized General Sherman pushed ruthlessly across the South and devastated the Southern forces from the inside out.
 * 4) Infiltrate the South from Georgia and the Carolinas. Once again Georgia was serving as a buffer state, but Sherman was able to break through and start his warpath across the Southern states. Many people even in the North were appalled by this action as many Union soldiers were lost and for the way in which Sherman killed and burned indiscriminately. This however was Lincoln’s plan and as he had said at the beginning of the war, he was going to stop the Southern secession by any means necessary.
 * 5) Capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. This would serve as the finishing blow to the South. After Grant’s constant barrage of Richmond Lincoln was able to walk down the streets of the devastated capital and the end of the war was within sight. All that needed to be done was to receive an official surrender from the South.
 * 6) Simply put, fight hard. This was the shear advantage of the North. With greater numbers and supplies Lincoln felt that a head on attack of all the Confederate generals would handicap their ability to help one another. This measure was super-effective. This method was used in the capture of Richmond and is the very reason that the Union won the conflict at all.

Lincoln did not have some of the same issues with Congress that many of his predecessors had for several reasons, most all of which relating in some way to the American Civil War. For one, Lincoln gained certain executive privilege due to the outbreak of the war. He was even able to suspend habeas corpus in order to find and catch Southern spies. Another distinct reason was that there was not as large a political division within his Congress, as all of those who did not believe in his ideals had left the Union. He was able to get much political support in almost all of his endeavors. In many cases a president cannot declare war or sacrifice so loosely the lives of soldiers within the American military. However, there were some bumps in the road for Lincoln. There were some Northern Democrats that had remained in the Union and they still had some strong opinions, some of which were contradictory to Lincoln’s Republican plan. These disputes led to the division of the Northern Democrats especially in the election of 1864. Two groups came into play, the war Democrats and the peace Democrats. The war Democrats sided with Lincoln and believed that the war should be continued until the South had surrendered. In contrast, the peace Democrats did not want to see the war go on and urged the president to try to end the conflict diplomatically so more American lives would not be expended needlessly. If the peace Democrats would have had more support from the North the entire outcome of the American Civil War could have been different. In order to overcome this congressional dispute and to become elected again as an incumbent, Lincoln joined the Republicans with the war Democrats to create the Union Party. This makeshift party won Lincoln the presidency and continued his support in Congress. Lincoln was able to continue to fight as long as he wanted to with the support of Congress to sign any proposed bills he suggested. The power he gained through the American Civil War continued into Johnson’s presidency and would take time for Congress to get back into check.
 * Lincoln’s Congressional Relationship**

Lincoln changed the entire course of American history with his administration. He succeeded in his goal of preserving the nation and was also able to emancipate the slaves. The nation easily could have collapsed had Lincoln not taken such an aggressive approach to defeating the South. Had he not succeeded in this, the two separate Americas would still be slightly hostile naturally, as they were even upon rejoining the nation. This created a real threat to the security of both states and would have been a very large detriment in the future. The North would have also lost many of their natural resources that Northern traders made their money redistributing around the world. The South in my opinion would not have even been able to sustain themselves. Their government was too loose in policy and there would be no way to create a cohesive nation easily. Future conflicts would have also been very difficult, such as both of the World Wars, because they may have taken different sides on the issues in those disputes. The emancipation of the slaves was by far the most positive outcome of the Civil War. It set a precedent for black Americans and gave them a chance to make an impact on society. By becoming freed and having several amendments to the Constitution added to ensure their rights, blacks were now able to vote and contribute to politics. This also gave hope to the women’s rights activists in America. They believed that with this difference made they would be able to gain their rights eventually too, and their plight would continue on until the next century where upon they gained their suffrage also.
 * Positive Outcomes of the Lincoln Administration**

Although Lincoln did much good in his presidency, he tended to trample upon the Constitution in order to accomplish his goals. His suspension of habeas corpus was an outrage to many people and denied them one of their most important rights promised to them by the bill of rights. Although it was not used in enormous excess, the idea of it was intimidating. He was also given almost unbridled control over the military. This gave Lincoln a distinct advantage over Davis, but gave too much to the executive branch that Congress wasn’t able to get back for years. Other than those things however there was very little negative that came out of Lincoln’s administration.
 * Negative Outcomes of the Lincoln Administration**

Lincoln changed what the role of president meant to the American people and sculpted a new idea of America in the eyes of its citizens. After he was president people no longer said “the United States //are//” but “the United States //is.//” He kept the country together and freed the slaves, paving the road for the equality of not just minorities but women as well. For his efforts and successes in the American Civil War, I give Abraham Lincoln an “A” as the sixteenth president of the United States.
 * Conclusion**

Kennedy, David M., Cohen, Lizabeth, Bailey, Thomas A.. __The American Pageant__. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. "Cabinet and Vice-Presidents". Mr. Lincoln's White House. 3/25/10 . "Lincoln, Abraham, (1809 - 1865)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. 3/25/10 . "16. Abraham Linoln 1861-1865". The White House. 3/25/10 .
 * Bibliography**