Category: Abraham Lincoln

Today the name of Abraham Lincoln is known almost to every person in the world. His outstanding achievements in the political sphere made professional historians consider him the greatest president who has ever guided the USA. Due to Lincoln’s commitment to his country and its nation, the most devastating period in the history of America passed away. Lincoln is known for saving the USA from dissolution. He made the slaves free and triggered the development of racial equality.

Abraham Lincoln was born at the beginning of the 19th century in the family that came from England to Massachusetts. His grandfather was killed by Indians, which affected the life of his father greatly. As Lincoln wrote, he turned into “a wandering labor boy… who grew up, literally without education” (“Abraham Lincoln” 1). Still, Thomas Lincoln managed to buy several farms and improve the family’s condition. Little information is known about his mother, Nancy. Historians have several versions regarding her possible parents, but none of them are proved. All in all, Lincoln’s family had three children, including Abraham. His life was mainly connected with his older sister, as a younger brother died, being a baby.

Soon the family moved to Indiana, where the boy was raised to farm work. In this rural area, he also had almost no opportunities to receive a decent education. In total, he spent at school no more than one year. As Lincoln confessed, “I could read, write, and cipher to the Rule of Three; but that was all” (Blaisdell 13). After Nancy’s death, his father married again. His new wife became a good mother for a boy. In 1828, his sister died. Being estranged from his father, Lincoln moved to New Salem three years later. He served in the Black Hawk War the next year and led a volunteer company, which affected his future life.

In 1832, he decided to enter the Illinois legislature, but this experience was not successful. Still, he did not fall into despair and got an opportunity to serve as a Whig during 1834-1841. Such action was expected from Lincoln, as his father also belonged to this party and he was raised following its worldview. Moreover, the proposed program targeted at the economic development of the country met his ideas: “time and experience verified that the poorest and most thinly populated countries would be greatly benefited by the opening of good roads and in the clearing of navigable streams” (HD News para. 6).

Being a Whig, Lincoln differed from other politicians. Being a part of a farmer’s family, he stated that this population is equal to all other people and its labor should not depend on capital. In 1837, he shared his views regarding slavery and claimed that it should be abolished. Instead, he underlined the efficiency of the economic opportunity in the USA, in the framework of which “a man who labored for another last year, this year labors for himself, and next year he will hire others to labor for him” (HD News para. 7).

The future president of the USA decided to become a lawyer under the influence of John Stuart. In 1837, he became a partner of this legislator and started to live in Springfield. With time, he also cooperated with other outstanding professionals (such as Steven Logan) and practiced successfully. During this period, Lincoln had relationships with Mary Todd. He married this religious woman who had genteel origins five years later, and they had four sons.

In 1847, Lincoln came out against the Mexican War. Being a part of the US House of Representatives but remaining a Whig, he considered it to be unconstitutional. Still, Lincoln did not try to express his sympathy towards the country in this way. His claims just showed that president James Polk did not follow the Constitution and conducted wrong actions. Abraham provided extreme support to the Wilmot Proviso, the legislation that focused on the abolition of slavery, as he wanted to ban it and prevent expansion. In 1849, his term ended, but Lincoln did not want to get involved in the run again and returned to Springfield and his previous practice.

Five years later, Abraham lost interest in politics. At this time, the legislation that allowed slavery on the territory where it was previously prohibited was passed. Lincoln considered such a step to be adverse for the development of the country. He was also highly concerned because the act was supported and sponsored by Democratic Senator. In 1855, he tried to reach the US Senate and joined the Republican Party next year. In 1857, he received an opportunity to campaign against that Senator (Douglas). In his speech, Lincoln stated that Douglas and Democratic presidents are willing to nationalize slavery and concluded that the whole population of one county can become slaves or turn free, as “a house divided against itself cannot stand” (“Abraham Lincoln” 3).

In order to influence the occurred situation, Lincoln decided to debate with Douglas. He hoped to share his fame and reach the mind of the general public in this way. They agreed to have seven debates in different cities. As Douglas lost southern support and received only the one from the East, people divided into those who supported slavery, considered it to be morally wrong and remained indifferent. Trying to attract more followers, Lincoln claimed that his opponent did not care whether slavery was “voted up or voted down” (Blaisdell and Douglas 329). As a result of the debates, Lincoln’s name and his position became known to the wide population even though he lost the run.

In 1860, Lincoln became a presidential candidate. This was his first major appearance that affected his future life. He was competing with William Seward for this position. The last one was not appreciated by the states lost by the Republicans, which allowed Lincoln to win. Surely, his next step was participation in the presidential election. To win, he had to defeat “defeating the Northern Democrat Douglas, the Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, and the Constitutional Union candidate John Bell” (“Abraham Lincoln” 4). For his campaign, Lincoln selected the cabinet that consisted of people who supported him during the competition for the Republican nomination.

The inauguration took place in 1861. Until that moment, seven states already left the Union, and the South did not react to the president’s speech. Even though the representatives of Lincoln’s cabinet were reluctant to interact with this territory, he sent provisions to the core of its federal authority – Fort Sumter. Still, South Carolina lacked supplies because of the fort’s decision and fired on it. In this way, the Civil War began soon after Lincoln’s inauguration.

Leading the country in the period of war, Lincoln showed himself as a great commander who was always ready to take vigorous measures. Except for that, he impressed the general public by his frequent contradictions with the Constitution and the military. In this way, he showed that he is the one who controls the situation and shapes the future. However, conflicts with McClellan, who used to be his cooperator lead to the condition, under which he became the presidential revival. Despite all previous actions, Lincoln reconsidered his position all in all. He accepted the military view on the war and agreed that the best way to cope with the enemy is to kill one.

As a result, he looked for a general to address in different cases regardless of this politics and its purposes. For this position, Ulysses Grant was chosen. As this general received the overall command, Lincoln did not have to be so deeply involved in military affairs anymore. Still, abandoning the direct role in planning, the president never stopped interesting in the issue. He remained involved in all projects, which revealed his commitment to the country and its people.

Currently, politics and historians believe that the Civil War was the main Lincoln’s occupation during the period he was a president. This process required huge human and material resources as well as administrative assistance. That is why Lincoln referred to the Republican Party, which he had an opportunity to use to reach his goals. He tried to keep it united and gave its members civilian appointments mainly. Except for that, Lincoln made sure that none of the parties was continuously favored. He divided military appointments so that a part of them was gained by Democrats. Still, the last ones claimed Lincoln to be a tyrant.

They could not forgive him proscribed civil liberties, such as thousands of arbitrary arrests. However, it cannot be denied that the president also had tolerant views towards criticism from the media and other politicians. He often affected commanders, making sure that no excessive arrests are made. In this way, the claim according to which he turned into a dictator soon after becoming the 16th president of the USA cannot be taken for granted.

Lincoln never tried to postpone the next presidential election even though he was almost sure he would lose to his opponent. Historians believe that Democrats’ position was mainly determined by the fact that they lost their influence on the economic issues as Lincoln prevented the expansion of slavery, without which the South considered itself to be dead. Still, as the Constitution allowed slavery during peaceful times, so the president came to the conclusion that he could abolish it during the war as a part of military necessary actions. His preliminary proclamation was justified by the military and Lincoln “endorsed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery” (“Abraham Lincoln” 5).

His views allowed Lincoln to be re-elected for the second term and affected the future of the USA regarding not only slavery but also racial issues. Still, they also lead to Booth’s conspiracy to abduct and kill him. This radically approached Southern-sympathizer shot Lincoln in 1865 at Ford’s Theatre. The president died the next day.

Works Cited

Abraham Lincoln. n.d. Web.

Blaisdell, ‎ Bob, and Stephen Douglas. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Mineola: Dover Publications, 2012. Print.

Blaisdell, Bob. The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: A Book of Quotations. Mineola: Dover Publications, 2012. Print.

HD News. Abraham Lincoln. 2016. Web.

Introduction

In his first inaugural speech, Abraham Lincoln expressed his need to end slavery in most parts of the United States. He declared that he was naturally against slavery. And in his own words he added that if slavery was not being in the wrong then all that they say that is wrong isn’t. Therefore he realized that the fact that he was president, he had power s conferred upon him to act and stop that shameful practice of slavery. He mentioned this both in his emancipation proclamation and in his first inauguration speech in the firs paragraph¹.

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Mr. Lincoln’s inaugural speeches, showed the fact that he had a good way of understanding the general population by comprehending the things in the American relations². From his first inaugural address, in the last paragraph, he told Americans that they are not enemies, but should treat each other as friends. He also added that though their passion may have been damaged by the things that they have been through, that should not be the reason to it split them.

In addition in his second inauguration speech, he talked of what different people thought the civil way would be and its consequences. In the second paragraph, he talked of how all people dreaded the thought of the civil war³. He added that while the inauguration address was being given during his first swearing in, most Americans devoted their efforts to save the Union without a war; he described how groups of urgent agents were brought into the city with a mission of destroying the same city, to split the Union and stop the negotiation processes. Even though both sides criticized the war, one side was so determined to go to war than see things go back to normal, while the other opted to accept the war instead of having to watch the Union fall.

Abraham Lincoln was an inspirational leader who aimed at taking advantage of people’s differences to unite them rather than divide them and who wanted people to forgive each other rather than seek revenge. In his second inaugural address, while concluding his speech, he proposed that even though people were still hurting as a result of the effects of the civil war, they should endeavor to work to unify the nation by caring for those who were affected by the war such as orphans and widows. He asked the people to at their best to achieve and treasure a lasting period of peace among themselves and between them and other nations⁴.

In addition he was a selfless leader who values the needs of the people he represented rather those that would gain him. In his first inauguration address in the thirty second paragraph, he reminded the citizens that the way the government was composed and formed people required little derailment of issues and could not stand any leader who used his power for personal gains. In addition he reminded those in power that the people were still watching their actions and any act of wickedness or mischief by those in power would lead to unforgivable by the people while causing a great deal damage to the government structure.

He also said in the thirtieth paragraph of his first inaugural address that the power that the Chief Magistrate possessed came from the people⁵. Therefore he should be the person to act strictly in the basic interest of the people he represented as the people can do this in a way they preferred if they wanted to but because someone was in the position he should as he was required as if he were the people. This should be the norm even for those who come after him.

Footnotes

1. Lincoln, A. The Emancipation Speech. USA: 1863.
2. Lincoln, A. First Inaugural Address; Web.
3. Lincoln, A. Second Inaugural Address; Web.
4. Lincoln, A. Second Inaugural Address; Web.
5. Lincoln, A. First Inaugural Address; Web.

Introduction

This paper examines the life of Abraham Lincoln (the late), who became the sixteenth president of the United States of America. The paper will focus on his family background early childhood life, his profession, and education, marriage, political involvement, and death. This paper will also discuss the various environments and situations in which Abraham Lincoln passed through. These will entail discussing the cultural, social, economic, and political factors during and after his childhood. He was also involved in community activities in which he participated in development issues, as a lawyer, he championed the rights of his peers and other citizens, especially the Negro slaves.

Biography: Abraham Lincoln

The story of Abraham Lincoln sounds great and unbelievable. Having been born in a poor background and the difficulties in life he faced, it is hard to believe that Abraham Lincoln could make it to be one of the most talked-about public figures in the United States of America and the world as a whole. He was a man with a stand and believed in the material and logical demonstration. This was the reason he never believed in the doctrines of Christianity.

Family background

Abraham Lincoln’s parents were Nancy Hanks who was the mother and Thomas Lincoln, the father. He had siblings who were his elder sister named Sarah and his younger brother who unfortunately died at an infant age. Both Nancy Hank and Thomas Lincoln had greatly influenced the life of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln grew in poverty because his parents could not afford it beyond the basics. The father never went to a school and his sibling and he never went to a formal school too. The father was a carpenter who continuously migrated deep west due to slavery. He never wanted to stay where there was slavery. Samuel Lincoln was the grandfather to would be President of the United States of American. He was the first American ancestor of the Lincolns family. He came from England during the period of great migration which took place in the year 1637. The family of Lincoln kept on moving to the west with every succeeding generation (Holland, 1866). In 1786 Samuel Lincoln was unfortunately short dead by an Indian-American who was a native of America by then. The shooting took place when his children watched, by that time Thomas Lincoln, the father to future president of America, was only six year of age. It is recorded that the young Thomas cried over the body of his dead father (Arnold, 2008). Mordecai was Samuel’s brother. The pain of seeing his dead father prompted him to pursue his father’s killer and killed him in revenge (Holland, 1866).

After Thomas’ father had died his life took a twist and he started facing challenges in life. It is argued that his mother’s relatives were there to assist him whenever possible. He later became independent and started living on his own; he fended for himself. Thomas never had any formal education from his childhood until he became an adult. He learnt carpentry, a skill he used to fend for himself. He managed to buy land and also started his own family before moving further west (Arnold, 2008).

His childhood and adult life

Abraham Lincoln was born on 12^th February 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky, United States of America; it is argued that he was born in a log cabin. Abraham Lincoln inherited the name of his paternal grandfather and had no middle name. From childhood, Abraham Lincoln hated slavery with a passion (Holland, 1866). This is attributed to the fact that his parents belonged to a Baptist church which denounced slavery in its doctrines; however, it is argued that Abraham never had the same religious beliefs like his father’s. In 1816, when Abraham Lincoln was only seven years old, Thomas moved his family to a place now known as Spencer County located in Indiana. When Abraham reached age nine his mother Nancy passed on. The father soon married another wife who Abraham still came to like the same way he liked his real mother, the step-mother was a widow named Sarah Bush Johnson.

In the year 1830, Thomas moved his family again, this time to Illinois where his son Abraham helped him in building a new log cabin. They also spent time clearing new land and growing crops. There was a year when all the family members were ill. That might have been a very difficult moment the family members went through. After they all recovered Abraham Lincoln showed his intention to start living alone and taking care of himself. He later left his step-mother and father and started living on his own.

Abraham Lincoln hated slavery because it was a repression against the unfortunate human race. He could not imagine that a man would treat his fellow men inhumanely. His life as regards to slavery completely took a new dimension after he witnessed the auctioning of slaves while he was nineteen years old; at that time he was traveling to New Orleans. He was strongly concerned with truth, fairness, and honesty. It was due to his father’s sentiments against slavery that the whole family moved to Indiana where slavery was forbidden.

On November 4, 1842 Abraham Lincoln got married to Miss Mary Todd. Abraham Lincoln and Mary met each other at the dance organized in Mary’s sister’s home. After they met they courted for a certain period of time then Lincoln doubted his love for Mary. He later called off their planned wedding. After about 18 months of no communication between them, it is said that his friends worked hard and succeeded in bringing them back together. They then resorted to dating clandestinely. They married within a notice of only one day. The couples had four sons: the first born came in August 1843, the second child was born in 1846, third one came in 1850 and later died in the White House in 1862, then the last born came in 1853. Robert Todd, the first born, was later to be given an appointment by President Garfield as the Secretary of War (Heffner, 2002). Contrary to Abraham Lincoln, his wife was well educated and spoke French with high competence. She was very ambitious and also proud of herself. She supported slavery but remained loving to her husband. She died at 64 years in 1882 in her sister’s home in Illinois.

Education

Abraham Lincoln did not have proper formal education, however, he had a very strong desire to learn and improve himself intellectually. His favorite books were the bible and the novel of Shakespeare. He embarked on self education and was able to learn more like a person who went through full formal schooling. It is estimated that Abraham’s schooling did not cover more than a year. He might have gone to a formal school for only about eighteen years. He never became a student of any college; after he became independent of his father at the age of 23years he started learning English grammar.

Abraham is described to have learned in small bits since he never had an opportunity to attend formal schooling. He learnt under about five schoolmasters in different times. During those learning periods he never stayed for more than two months with either of those masters. Under the schoolmasters, Abraham mainly learnt writing, spelling, reading, and ciphering. When they moved to Indiana Abraham attended school at ages eleven, fourteen and seventeen. He had written that he loved to acquire knowledge but there was entirely nothing to bring excitement for education. This was because there were not so many qualified teachers who could give proper formal education.

With no formal education and little learning, anybody in Abraham’s situation would have given up the academic life and quest for education, but Abraham Lincoln never relented on his quest for knowledge and a career. When he was seventeen years old he decided he wanted to become a lawyer. From then onwards he concentrated on activities that would enable him realize the dream of becoming a lawyer some day. He acted like a lawyer every time he had an opportunity to interact with different kinds of people. For instance, he leant how to deal with people leniently when he was a postmaster, as a shopkeeper he ensured honesty and tried to be as accurate as possible during his time as a surveyor.

He would stay up late in the night reading. In the evening he would ask his friends to loan him books which he read next to the fire place, where there was light, he would then return the books back to his friends the next day in the morning. He passed law exams in 1836 and therefore, qualified to become a lawyer. He was later admitted to become an advocate

Religious affiliation

Abraham Lincoln was a Christian by birth. His father’s family members were members of a Baptist church then found in Kentucky, Indiana. It is reported that the Bible was Abraham’s most preferred book; he read it most of the time and quoted from it many times. When he was president he congregated in New York Avenue Church of Presbyterian located in Washington. Though Lincoln attended the church services he never shared in the common Christian beliefs, it was believed that his religious beliefs were not orthodox although he was concerned with his life after death (Chicago Public Library, 1909).

Political life and death of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln developed a lot of interest in politics. He started by working as a postmaster with New Salem situated in Illinois. He later became a legislature and then ascended to the United States House of Representatives. The first time he ran for state legislature was in 1832; he never succeeded to capture the seat after several attempts. He succeeded to win the legislative post in 1834 (Abraham Lincoln Online, 2010). He reached his political peak when he became the 16^th president of the United States of American (Stefoff, 1989). In 1846 Lincoln won a seat in the House of Representatives though in those moments he never was an influential figure in the House of Representatives. Abraham Lincoln’s hatred to slavery became even stronger when he entered politics.

During his time as president, Abraham Lincoln managed to abolish slave trade in the United States of America. He served as the president of the United States for two terms. The president was assassinated in 1865 when he went out with his wife to watch a comedy. That was after his secretary of war had warned him not to venture out at night fearing a possible assassination attempt, which came to be a reality. His bodyguard had gone for a drinking spree; that gave the assassin a chance to fatally shoot the president. He was aged 56 at the time of his assassination (Stefoff, 1989).

Conclusion

Abraham Lincoln was the 16^th president in the United States of America. He was born on 12^th February, 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky. His parents were Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hank. The grandfather was Samuel Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was named after his grandfather and was never given a middle name. The grandfather immigrated into the United States from England during the period of great migration. He therefore became the first ancestor of the Lincoln family in America. In 1786 Thomas Lincoln and his elder brother Mordecai watched a native Indian-American shoots their father to death. In retaliation, Mordecai pursued his father’s assassin and shot him to death. That marked a turning point in the life of Thomas Lincoln. Much is not said about Mordecai yet it is recorded that Thomas Lincoln underwent lots of challenges. However, it is said that he got necessary assistance from his mother’s sisters.

When Thomas Lincoln became of age, he trained in carpentry and started supporting himself. He bought land and started his own family. He never had a formal schooling the whole of his life, a situation that prevented him from getting into any kind of formal employment. He later moved his family further to west. After sometimes Thomas Lincoln moved the family again to Spencer, Indiana and settled there for sometimes and finally migrated to Illinois where Abraham Lincoln helped him build a new log cabin. Thomas Lincoln’s family members were Christians and were members of a Baptist church. Even though Abraham Lincoln was a Christian like his father, he never trusted the church doctrines. He purely believed in what had sense demonstrations; what he could subject to logic and reason and not what enlisted emotional feelings.

Abraham Lincoln hated slavery from the times he was young to the times of his reign as the president of the United States of America. In fact, he declared an emancipation of all slaves in the United States and abolished slavery. His hatred for slavery was attributed to the fact that his father’s family belonged to the Baptist church which in its doctrines denounced slavery. When Abraham was nine years old his mother died. The father later married a widow who never had problems with Abraham, in fact it is said Abraham equally liked her. Abraham later separated from his father and step mother to start living alone. In 1842, Abraham Lincoln got married to Mary Todd. They met at a party organized in Mary’s sister’s home in Illinois; they then courted for some times before getting married. They were blessed with four children who were all boys.

Abraham Lincoln never had a formal schooling and never attended any college. He learnt English grammar, reading, writing, ciphering and little of mathematics. His favorite books were the bible and Shakespeare (Young Foundations, 2008). Even though he never went to school, Abraham Lincoln was determined to become a lawyer. He borrowed books from friends, read them at night and returned them in the morning. After reading enough he sat for law exams and passed. He was later admitted to the bar and became an advocate.

He also got interested in politics. He faced many failures during elections but he never gave up until he succeeded. He later became the president of the United States of America. He was assassinated in 1865 at the age of 56 when he went to watch comedy at night together with his wife.

Reference

Abraham Lincoln Online. (2010). Abraham Lincoln Political Career Timeline. Web.

Arnold, I. (2008). The Life of Abraham Lincoln. Digital Scanning Inc. ISBN 1582187592, 9781582187594.

“Chicago Public Library”. (1909). List of books and magazine articles on Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States….The Chicago Public Library.

Heffner, R. (2002). A documentary history of the United States. A Signet book. Signet Classic. ISBN 0451207483, 9780451207487.

Holland, G. (1866). Life of Abraham Lincoln. American Culture Series, Politics & Law collection. The University of California.

Stefoff, R. (1989). Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States. Presidents of the United States. Garrett Educational Corp. ISBN 0944483143, 9780944483145.

Young Foundations. (2008). Abraham Lincoln. Web.

The Battle of Gettysburg is one of the most significant and well-known not only during the Civil War but also in the entire history of the United States. It was here, in the Gettysburg Field, that President Abraham Lincoln delivered his most famous speech. The deep meaning embedded in it and the feelings with which Lincoln delivered his speech make it convincing, vivid, strong, and memorable.

The choice of words that Lincoln made for his speech is not random and each of them resonated deeply in the heart of his audience. Thus, Lincoln said that Americans were “a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Schnall, 2014). The word preposition in this sentence refers not only to the idea of forefathers but has a deeper meaning. With a choice of this word Lincoln suggests that the audience must consider what they are fighting for – equality for all men – and determines the purpose of the war – that of uniting the US people based on equality and brotherhood. At that time, the idea was crucial to motivate people to fight, since the battle of Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest, and many people were disheartened to continue the struggle. Moreover, some saw the war as civil and were averse to killing their citizens. Lincoln aptly delineated the purpose of the war connecting it to the forefathers’ idea of equality through the choice of such words as “consecrate” and “hallowed” ground. Thus, Lincoln says: “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate-we can not consecrate-we can not hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it”. The words “consecrate” and “hallowed” ground here refers to the holy character of the fight, the one the nation cannot lose. The meaning of the sentence is two-fold: on the one hand, Lincoln refers to the forefathers and generations perished who overcame innumerable difficulties first as settlers and then in the War for Independence to bring into life what they believed in. On the other hand, Lincoln refers to people dead in the Battle of Gettysburg and says that their noble fight will not be forgotten and will be forever written in the history of the USA.

The Gettysburg speech is short and this fact makes it even more powerful and memorable. The speech was delivered right after the Battle of Gettysburg in the cemetery where many people who perished in the fight were buried. While the purpose of the speech was to call on people to continue the fight, Lincoln paid reverence to dead soldiers by not making the speech short and effective. Indeed, there is a tradition to honor the dead with a minute of silence and Lincoln remain true to this tradition by not delivering lengthy speeches in the cemetery. Instead, he gave people time to mourn over their dead at the same time inspiring them to continue the struggle.

The Gettysburg speech has parallels with “My Escape from Slavery” by Johnson. Indeed, both call freedom and equality the highest value, a precious gift that is worth fighting for. Thus, Douglass in his escape overcomes innumerable difficulties to become free while in the battle of Gettysburg, hundreds of people died for equality and brotherhood. Douglass says that after his escape “the dreams of [his] youth and the hopes of [his] manhood were completely fulfilled”, underlining the fact that freedom is more precious to him than any earthy richness (Douglass, 1881). The same idea is traced in the Gettysburg Address where Lincoln states that people who died in the battle will not be forgotten since what they fought for – freedom and equality – are more precious than life itself.

References

Schnall, P. (2014). Lincoln @ Gettysburg [Video file]. Public Broadcasting Service. Web.

Douglass, F. (1881). My escape from slavery. The Century Illustrated Magazine, 23, 125-131.

Introduction

The Gettysburg Address is a speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln, the then president of the United States of America, on November 19, 1863. It was delivered during the American civil war, at the consecration of the Soldiers National Cemetery; it was four and a half months later that the union armies defeated those of confederacy during the battle of Gettysburg.

Main body

New York City draft riots, 1863, are about “the largest and deadliest city riots in American history that took place in New York on July 13-16, 1863” (Denver, p. 435). They originated from the fear of cheap black labor competition which posed a threat to Irish unskilled workers. They were “a culmination of the mounting economic, political and social tensions that existed among New York’s so-called melting pot of cultures” (Blankfein).

Lincoln started his address with the words “four score and seven years ago”, referring to America’s great revolution of 1776 in which the founding fathers had set foot of democracy that “ the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (qtd. In Wikipedia). He viewed those principles in the context of the civil war.

The ongoing civil war had made it difficult for President Abraham Lincoln to raise enough troops to run the war. Therefore, using the powers granted to him by the Militia Act of July 17, 1862, and by the overwhelming show of support by the U.S. Congress on March 3, 1863, the first conscription law was passed that forced all-male between age 20 and 45 be eligible to be drafted into military service. Many Americans viewed the law as a violation of their rights of freedom on which the country was founded. To soften the populace, a commutation fee of $300 was introduced, that any draftee capable of paying such amount would avoid service in the military, and instead, his fee would be used to pay bonuses to volunteers.

To add to that, the emancipation proclamation of January 1, 1863, that freed the slaves, most of the black community, was viewed by many critics that it had changed the characteristic of war from saving the Union to saving humans from bondage. Considering that then, America’s populace was filled with immigrants of either skilled Germans or unskilled Irish who had come to America on the promise of leading a good and better life and instead found the promise to be false, and therefore, they became frustrated. In addition to that, the gap between the rich and poor was huge. The rich were viewed as exploiters of the poor, and as Jobs became scarce for the lower classes and hence competitions for similar jobs became fierce, these served to add to the frustrations already in existence.

These two, thus, served as a spark to ignite the most violent riots in New York, 1863, in American history up to that time, which was largely inclined along with racism.

Therefore, President Abraham Lincoln, by referring to the American Revolution, wanted to invoke the principle of liberty and equality for which the declaration of independence stood for, “we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Shane).

That all men were created equal and therefore, no race ought to be viewed superior to the other. The black race was viewed as the inferior race, that even after the emancipation declaration made them free, they still enjoyed little freedom. Just before the riots, they were viewed as the source of all misery to the American natives and the unskilled Irish workers, that they accepted all jobs at lower rates of wages than other races. Therefore, as the riots broke out, they were the target of the mobs who lynched any black in the vicinity.

Liberty means human beings are free to govern themselves and take responsibility for their actions. The conscription law was largely seen to violate this principle because a person was forced by the government to offer military service against his will. The law was also viewed to favor the rich against the poor that the rich would pay the commutation fee to escape being drafted into military service. These created resentment against the rich class, and as a result, were one of the aims of the New York riots.

Conclusion

President Abraham Lincoln, therefore, described the civil war as a test and struggle to deliver men of all races to freedom, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure,” “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”(qtd. In Wikipedia) The New York riots were seen as a culmination of the rot in the society and therefore a struggle for freedom and prosperity for which the American country stood for. These riots later played an important role in gathering support for government involvement in reforms; the passing of Tenement House Law in 1867.

Works Cited

1. Blankfein, Alex. “The causes and effects of the New York Draft Riots of 1863.” 2003.
2. Danver, Steve L. Revolts, Protests, Demonstrations, and Rebellions in American History. Vol 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2001. Print
3. Shane, Knites. “American revolution, Declaration of Independence. “1997.

The impact of the assassination of President Lincoln on Reconstruction is one of the most debated topics in American history. He actively supported the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and tried to equalize the rights of all American citizens by giving the vote to African Americans (Lincoln Home, n.d.). However, the assassination of the 16th President significantly slowed down Reconstruction and, in the long run, contributed to the racism still going on today.

Lincoln’s antislavery policy was gradual but quite radical. One of the main ideas of the President was that race and skin color could not be sufficient grounds for determining a person’s intelligence or social status. Above all, slavery undermined the democratic fabric of the United States by violating the fundamental rights and freedoms of American citizens. To achieve equality in 1862, the Homestead Act was passed, according to which all citizens who did not rebel against the government could receive 160 acres of land (Lincoln Home, n.d.). The law dealt a severe blow to slavery and led to a radical solution to the rural problem – the development of agriculture along the farmer’s path. On the other hand, Lincoln’s policy and the fight against slavery became the leading cause of the Civil War. Therefore, it may seem that the antislavery policy of the President was not active enough to eradicate slavery but only turned the South against the North.

The policy of Lincoln’s reconstruction plan after the Civil War was relatively benign. For example, the changes he proposed included the possibility of creating new state governments if 10% of the state’s male population took an oath to the American government and recognized the independence of the black population (Lincoln Home, n.d.). The Wade-Davis Reconstruction Bill proposed to replace Lincoln’s plan contained harsher measures against the Southern states. This law primarily focused on extending the power and strengthening the influence of the US government throughout the United States. Therefore, although slavery was officially abolished, it was still a common practice.

However, Lincoln’s assassination gave Congress enough power to pass the Wade-Davis Reconstruction Bill. As a result, the conflict in the South intensified, and the emancipation of enslaved people slowed down significantly, even despite the existence of laws. Amendments 14 and 15, which provide equal rights for black US citizens, have often been ignored. That, in turn, became the cause of racial discrimination, firmly entrenched in American society today.

References

Lincoln Home (n.d.). Lincoln on slavery. National Park Service. Web.

The election of Abraham Lincoln as United States president was an important historical event, which signified a devotion of the national power to the unity of the country. For that matter, the ideas explaining his decision-making as a president are necessary to examine. The document selected for analysis in this essay is Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, which was written and publicly presented in March 1861. The source was produced by President Abraham Lincoln as a speech delivered to the general public on his inaugural day to present the direction of his policy in the office. Thus, the author of the document has a direct relation to the event of his inauguration and further execution of the responsibilities of the President of the United States, which are addressed in the speech.

The author’s credibility of the analyzed document is justified by his status and position. As US president, Lincoln’s stance on national politics demonstrates the upcoming changes in the inseparability of the Union and the role of slavery in the rivalry between the South and the North. When considering possible biases affecting the document, one might address Lincoln’s intentions of preserving the Union’s wholeness and instilling the South’s awareness of the risks of the Constitution’s violation. Given these intentions, his articulation of the ideas in the speech might be considered biased.

The document contains multiple pivotal points about the power execution of the newly elected President and his intentions concerning the decision-making on states’ matters. In particular, Lincoln emphasized the preservation of slavery in the Southern states. In the context of growing political and social unrest manifested via abolitionist activities, the speech of the newly elected President was persuasive. The President assured that he had “no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists” (Lincoln 1861, 5). The second pivotal piece of information included in the speech was the declaration of the President to ensure that the Union was unbroken. Lincoln stated, “to the extent of my ability I shall take care, as the Constitution itself expressly enjoins upon me, that the laws of the Union be faithfully executed in all the States” (Lincoln 1861, 9). With these words, the President emphasized that he considered the intention of the Southern states to separate as unlawful. Finally, the third important point was Lincoln’s emphasis on compromising the interests of the South and the North to avoid continuous conflicts and the Union’s breaking.

The reason why this document was created reached beyond the mere requirement of addressing the public on an inaugural day. Indeed, the historical context of the document demonstrates that it was needed to explain the new Presidential administration’s political direction. In particular, it demonstrated that Lincoln was devoted to preserving the Union with the inclusion of the Southern states via compromising but without allowing any violation of the Constitution.

In conclusion, the analysis of Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address of 1861 has demonstrated that the document was created to present the political intentions of the newly elected President to the public. Moreover, at the time the speech was delivered, the country was on the verge of a civil war due to the abolitionist movement and the pro-slavery politics in the Southern states. Thus, the relevance of the documents is justified by Lincoln’s intentions to preserve the Union unbreakable.

References

Lincoln, Abraham. 1861. “Abraham Lincoln papers.” Library of Congress. Web.

Introduction

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12 1809 in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky. His father Thomas Lincoln was a carpenter and a farmer and his mother was Nancy Hanks who died shortly after giving birth to his sister Sarah. He was brought up in Indiana and Illinois. He was born in a very humble family that struggled to survive. Owing to the poverty that bestowed his family, Lincoln did could not get any formal education and he put a lot of effort and struggled to educate himself while working on a farm, splitting rails of fences and attending a store at Illinois. He was very sincere and his character worn him a lot of respect that led to his appointment as the captain of a volunteer company that gathered for the Black Hawk War in 1832. His sincere character earned him the nickname, “Honest Abe.” In 1936 he qualified as a lawyer and started practising in Spring Field, Illinois. He worked with the legislature until 1842. In 1846, he ran for the United States House of Representatives and he was elected to the congress to represent the wig party for a term. He became very famous because of his opposition to the US-Mexican war that occurred between 1846 and 1848 following the Mexican objection of Texas becoming a US state. This war was the first foreign war in the United States and the soldiers from all the states took part. He spoke against the war and stated that God had forgotten to defend the weak and the innocent and permitted the strong band of murderers and demons from hell to kill men, women and children and lay waste and pillage the land of the unjust. This particular speech destroyed his political career and he decided not to re-run for the post since people could not easily forget his words. Lincoln saw the war as an extension of slavery and therefore he was very disappointed with politics and decided to uphold his career in law.

Lincoln Against Slavery

In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act that allowed people to decide whether they wanted slavery to continue was passed. Stephen A. Douglas proposed a popular sovereignty as the solution to the slavery by incorporating the act. He supported the notion that in a democratic state, the people had a right to vote for or against the notion rather than adopting the decisions imposed on them by the congress. Lincoln took advantage of this act and renewed his hope in politics. He came out in public and expressed his hatred for the practice of slavery. He stated that slavery deprived the Republicans of their virtue of justice. The act itself led to violence in Kansas and President Franklin Pierce sent troops to end the fighting. Lincoln became very devoted to forming a new Republican party. In 1858, Lincoln ran for the senate position but he lost to Stephen A. Douglas. Even though he lost the seat, his debates with Douglas earned him a lot of publicity and he became very famous as an eloquent public speaker. Between 1857 and 1858, Douglas had a fight with President Buchan over the control of the Democratic Party. In 1858, Lincoln accepted the nomination for the senate position and he delivered the famous speech, ‘a house divided against it cannot stand.” He based his speech on a verse he had read from the bible. He believed that the government would not succeed when its population was partly free and partly slaves. He was involved in various debates with Douglas and Lincoln warned that the power of slavery was threatening the values of the Republicans. Douglas on the other hand insisted that democracy was the most appropriate way of deciding the fate of slavery in the United States.

Lincoln’s Presidency

In 1860, Lincoln was nominated as the Republican Presidential candidate. Throughout his campaign, he expressed his opposition against slavery. The southern states that supported slavery did not uphold his moves and upon his victory signs, seven states left the union and formed the Confederacy States of America. As four more states followed suit, Lincoln was very determined to preserve the union at any cost. He was elected as the 16^th and as the first US Republican President defeating the Democratic candidate Douglas, John Bell of the new Constitutional Union Party and John C Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats.

Lincoln’s presidency was characterized by the American Civil War that commenced in 1861. This happened despite the fact that he hated war and its consequences of death and destruction of property. He had no other alternative of saving his union except by the virtue of accepting the war. He warned the South in his Inaugural Address:

“In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you… You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it.”

Emancipation Proclamation That Freed the Slaves

In January 1863, he issued an Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves held in the areas that were in control of the Confederate Union. This was remarkable step for Lincoln’s union in the fight to end slavery. The proclamation did not free many slaves but it changed the way the Americans viewed the black men who could now freely join the Union army and the Navy. He assumed power that had not been bestowed on any other president. To achieve his goals, he broke the laws and paid no attention to some of the constitutional provisions. He declared the martial law and suspended the legal rights. The martial law was understood as temporary to cover only the immediate field of a military commander’s needs. It was not expected to bring permanent changes to the legal status of the military property. He placed the President as the final interpreter of the law. He regarded his powers as emergency authority that had been granted to him by the people. He always maintained that as the president, he was one of the three coordinate departments of the government and therefore he was not in any way subordinate to the courts and the Congress. He also maintained that the president had a special duty that was beyond the duties of the congress and the courts. He argued that the president was the only one who was appointed to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and therefore in the times of war he held the sole duty of the welfare and the endurance of the people.

In 1864, he appointed the Ulysses S Grant as the overall commander to lead the Union armies. The armies had over 200,000 black soldiers who participated in the fight for freedom. In late 1863, President Lincoln delivered his famous speech in Gettysburg. He devoted the battlefields to the soldiers who perished there. The site later became a military cemetery. In his speech he stated:

“…we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

President Lincoln Was Re-Elected

In 1864, President Lincoln was re-elected again and he devoted himself to bring the nation together. He used the military strategy of seeking peace by discussing with the Union Armies the best way to bring peace to the alienated nation. He was very generous in giving compensation to the states that were willing to forego slavery. He urged the southerners to lay down their weapons and cooperate in the speedy re-union. In bid to seek for re-union he traveled from state to state. He waited at City Point for the news of his victory over the Confederate armies. He had boarded a ship to the River Queen where he had a dream that he was in the white house and walked in on a group of mourners. When he asked who had died, a soldier told him the president had died. After a few days of his dream, the Confederate troops under General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the General grant and this marked the end of the war in Virginia. It was very unfortunate that Lincoln did not live long to enjoy the fruits of his labour. A few weeks after his return from City Point he was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre in Washington on 14 April 1865 by John Wilkes Booth who was an actor. John was a strong supporter of the Confederate. The efforts that Lincoln had set forth to gain peace soon diminished with his death. After his death, his legacy of executive power did not last for long. For the following forty years, the congress and the courts did not recognize the power and the influence of the powers set by Lincoln.

Conclusion

Lincoln is held by the historians as the greatest United States president by every measure. He is compared to the life of Jesus Christ because of his virtue of involving God in his endeavours and also his passion to deliver the people from slavery. He was seen as a self-made – man who had given his life to liberate slaves and the saviour of the union for free. He exercised patience and planned carefully with a brave soul to end slavery. Some of his greatest achievements fondly remembered are his ability to mobilize the people even with his self-bestowed executive powers, his ability to save the union, the justification of democracy and bringing an end to slavery. He is seen as an image of honesty and integrity with honour for the individual rights and human freedom. Many organizations in America continue to celebrate his life and interests in the human welfare. He is memorized through naming of cities after him such as the capital of Nebraska.

Bibliography

1. Basler, Roy P. Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Rutgers University Press, 1955, pp. 23-46
2. David Brion Davis and Steven Mintz. The Boisterous Sea of Liberty. Oxford University Press, 1998, pp. 16-34
3. Diggings, John P. The Lost Soul of American Politics: Virtue, Self-Interest, and the Foundations of Liberalism. University of Chicago Press, 1986, pp. 32-58
4. Ervin L. Jordan. Black Confederates and Afro-Yankees in the Civil War. Virginia, University of Virginia Press, 1995, pp. 5-26
5. Harrison, Lowell Hayes. Lincoln of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky, 2000, pp. 3-30
6. John D. Buenker and Lorman Ratner. Multiculturalism in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005, pp. 7-18
7. William C. Spragens. Popular Images of American Presidents. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1988, pp. 15-25

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States and is well known for his humble beginnings as he was born in a log cabin in frontier Kentucky. He received very little formal education as a child and yet rose to the highest position in the land largely thanks to his own initiative in teaching himself everything he needed to know. He is perhaps most known as the President who successfully kept the nation together when the north and the south went to war over slavery.

One of the more important events during this war was the battle at Gettysburg. This battle represented a turning point in the war in favor of the Union army as well as a turning point in the thinking of the President as revealed through his documents.

President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was delivered at the site in Pennsylvania where four months previous, more than 50,000 soldiers from both sides of the Civil War were killed or wounded. This battle at Gettysburg took the lives of more Americans than any other in history. At Gettysburg, many thousands of decomposing bodies littered the battlefield, many of which were buried in very shallow graves. According to a witness, “body parts stuck up here and there.

Hogs rooted out the bodies and devoured them” (Wills, 1992: 21). To alleviate the gruesome situation, a national cemetery was planned so that the dead could be buried properly. The dedication of the cemetery was held before all the thousands of bodies could be buried, but it was hoped that a formal and somber ceremony would serve to change the horrific scene of butchery to a place of honor and one that displayed a more peaceful ambiance. The degree to which this was hoped and achieved can be discovered by examining some of the original documents associated with Lincoln’s famous address.

Lincoln’s comments in the Gettysburg Address comprised less than 300 words although the total number varies by which document consulted. The Hay copy is strongly believed to have been one of two drafts of the speech written prior to its delivery, but this remains uncertain. Though very brief, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is still regarded as one of the country’s most revered speeches because it eloquently spoke of subjects that went far beyond the battle or the war.

The first line of Lincoln’s Address, ‘four score and seven years ago is one of, if not the most well-known line of any speech in American history. This refers to 1776, the year the country was born. The remainder of the first paragraph speaks of the equality for all men defined in the Declaration of Independence. The second paragraph speaks to the present conflict and that those who died did so to preserve a nation founded on the principle of equality.

The third paragraph speaks to the future. Those that live should carry on with the ‘unfinished work’ of those that have died as the way to honor their sacrifice. The Address is tied together with the precepts of those who founded the country to the present battle and indicates the future direction of the country should be based on the past and present (Gettysburg Address Hay Copy, 1863).

Contained in the second paragraph’s first line, the war was ‘testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated,’ could endure. Lincoln seemed to imply that the country was essentially an experiment, a method of governing that had never been attempted. This new nation was first ‘dedicated to the proposition that equality was an inherent right. This was why the reuniting of the nation was so important; so the noble experiment would not fail.

Lincoln intended to remind the country of these ideals by the words ‘government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth, indicating that the loss of the war by the Union Army would result in the failure of uniquely American ideals for not only this country but all others as well who might try to emulate it in the future. The strong future emphasis of the speech through such lines as “It is for us, the living, rather be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on” may have been at least partially inspired, however, by Lincoln’s disappointment that Robert E. Lee had not been pursued and captured.

In a letter addressed to George Meade dated July 14, 1863, Lincoln outlined the various reasons why he was disappointed with the general’s performance and willing to accept the general’s resignation. The body of the letter details Lincoln’s understanding of the strategic situation faced by the Union armies shortly after July 3, 1863, the last day of the battle at Gettysburg.

Although Lincoln gives Meade some praise early in the letter, “I am very – very – grateful to you for the magnificent success you gave the cause of the country at Gettysburg”, he quickly moves into an expression of his disappointment and his vision for what might have been. His evolving thoughts on how well Meade might have performed seem to be reflected in the Gettysburg Address as he calls for the nation to take up the ‘unfinished work’ Meade left behind, tempered by the acknowledgment of the noble efforts of the men on the field.

Essentially, Lincoln charges Meade in the letter with avoidance and withdrawal in sight of victory. Other words that might be used are cowardice and retreat. Given his removed view of the battle at the time he wrote this letter, Lincoln’s view was obviously that Meade could have easily captured Lee, destroyed the Confederate forces, and ended the war all at once if he had simply expended a little more effort. “I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee’s escape – He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war – As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely” (Abraham Lincoln to George G. Meade, 1863). A note on this document indicates that while Lincoln took the time to write it out and place it in an envelope, the letter was never sent as Lincoln reconsidered his position.

It is not surprising that Lincoln should take such a stance when documents such as the telegram from Simon Cameron, dated the same day as Lincoln’s letter to Gen. Meade (July 14, 1863) are examined. In this telegram, Cameron gives Lincoln every reason to believe that Meade is holding back his forces for no truly valid reason.

Cameron undermines Meade’s decision in two ways. First, he gives the President every reason to believe that Meade’s army is perfectly fit to continue the battle as they pursue a demoralized, disorganized, and poorly defended enemy. “His [Meade’s] army is in fine spirits and eager for battle. They will win if they get a chance” (Simon Cameron to Abraham Lincoln, 1863). In spite of this high energy, Cameron suggests that Meade has made the decision not to pursue the full knowledge that Lee will escape.

Cameron also suggests that Meade’s forces will be successful if a simple adjustment in field position were to take place. “Genl. Couch has a fine army between Carlisle and Green Castle but will move no farther South without orders” (Simon Cameron to Abraham Lincoln, 1863).

In this statement, Cameron questions the importance of Gen. Couch’s position as well as his ability to accurately judge the position on the ground as well as Meade’s authority in being able to convince his fellow commanders to work in concert to achieve the ultimate goal of ending the war. The tone of the telegram is urgent and adamant that Lee must be captured, could be captured, and would not be captured if left to the discretion of Meade and his commanders in place unless ordered to do so by the President himself.

Exactly one week after these letters were written, Lincoln had already tempered his response somewhat toward the actions of Meade as is made clear in a letter he wrote to Oliver O. Howard, who was a Union general that had previously written to Lincoln in defense of Meade. Dated July 21, 1863, Lincoln’s letter to Howard was in response to Howard’s previously mentioned correspondence and admitted to Lincoln’s harsh feelings toward the failure of Meade to capture Lee. “I was deeply mortified by the escape of Lee across the Potomac because the substantial destruction of his army would have ended the war, and because I believed such destruction was perfectly easy” (Abraham Lincoln to Oliver O. Howard, 1863).

Despite this feeling, though, Lincoln admits other factors may have played a role in his initial response. One such factor was his personal internal belief, based on the exhilaration of early reports of success in Gettysburg. “Perhaps my mortification was heightened because I had always believed – making my belief a hobby possibly – that the main rebel army going North of the Potomac, could never return, if well attended to” (Abraham Lincoln to Oliver O. Howard, 1863).

Although he never fully explains the reasons for his change of heart other than this personal admission of his own character, Lincoln makes it clear that he no longer holds Meade in disgrace, saying “I am now profoundly grateful for what was done, without criticism for what was not done – Gen. Meade has my confidence as a brave and skilled officer and a true man” (Abraham Lincoln to Oliver O. Howard, 1863). This change of heart on the part of Lincoln may have been the result of information conveyed to him by Howard in an earlier letter, but was more likely the result of multiple sources providing much more detailed information of conditions on the ground.

Accounts of Lee’s retreat highlight the difficulties and issues Meade faced when determining whether or not to pursue the vanquished forces. General John Imboden had just arrived at Gettysburg as Lee had lost the battle. Rather than pulling these freshmen into an already lost battle, Lee ordered Imboden and his men to cover the rear of the retreating Confederate column (Imboden, 1887). Meanwhile, Meade was facing carefully drawn up troops with his tired men and could only guess that Lee was indeed retreating.

The pursuit had to take place through very muddy conditions and flood stage on the Potomac, but Meade was able to severely harass the retreating column, his men managed to cut the pontoon bridge free and the Confederate army was finally ‘cornered’ at Williamsport (Woodworth, 2003).

However, by the time Meade’s army was able to gather its strength around Williamsport, Lee’s army had entrenched itself in the town and was able to hold off Union attacks while the retreat continued unsuspected over the flooded river with the aid of ‘flats’ or small boats (Imboden, 1887). These same boats made it possible for Lee’s army to receive new ammunition from Winchester Just as night was falling, Lee’s entrenched army received backup support as Fitzhugh Lee approached from one direction and Stuart engaged Meade’s forces from another direction, forcing the Union army to retreat (Imboden, 1887).

The detail Imboden provides illustrates the degree to which Meade’s army was intentionally deceived by Imboden and makes it clear that Meade was acting with aggressive prudence in attempting to both captures Lee’s army and preserve his own troops.

It is likely that as Lincoln continued to push Meade to surround and engage Lee’s army, this is exactly what Meade was attempting to do while at the same time ensuring that he preserved as many Union soldiers as possible. It is also likely that Lincoln did not get the full report of the efforts that were taking place along the lines of retreat.

This is clear in the letters written to him. Cameron openly questions the decisions and authority of Meade while Howard has obviously written to vigorously defend Meade’s decisions in the field of battle. That Lincoln obviously had a change of heart is manifested in his own letters first revealing extreme disappointment and gradually mellowing to a more complete and appreciative understanding of what occurred.

Gettysburg was an important battle during the Civil War not just because it represented a turning point in the conflict, but also because of the opportunity it provides for future generations to more completely understand the nature of the man who led the country during this time. For those who knew the inner conflicts, now available to the public through the publication of Lincoln’s personal correspondence, Lincoln is revealed to have been a man of action and thought.

He was eager to take aggressive action to end the conflict between the states as quickly as possible with the least loss of life while still keeping the nation held together. At the same time, he was able to acknowledge his own human weaknesses and admit when he was wrong.

These messages, demonstrated on a personal level through these documents, were then delivered on a national level in the Gettysburg Address as Lincoln urges the nation to quickly finish what has been started (“it is for us … to be dedicated here to the unfinished work”) and humbly acknowledge greatness in one you had previously condemned (brilliantly conveyed in the terms of the ambiguous ‘they’ as Lincoln refers to those who have died, but does not divide his comments between north and south, merely living and dead). He proposes this as the means to preserve a “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Works Cited

“Abraham Lincoln: Gettysburg Address, Hay Copy.” (1863). Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress. Trans. Lincoln Studies Center. Galesburg, IL: Knox College.

“Abraham Lincoln to George G. Meade.” (1863). Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress. Trans. Lincoln Studies Center. Galesburg, IL: Knox College.

“Abraham Lincoln to Oliver O. Howard.” (1863). Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress. Trans. Lincoln Studies Center. Galesburg, IL: Knox College.

Imboden, Brig. General John. “The Retreat from Gettysburg.” Emmitsburg Area Historical Society. (1887; 1996). Web.

“Simon Cameron to Abraham Lincoln.” (1863). Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress. Trans. Lincoln Studies Center. Galesburg, IL: Knox College.

Wills, Gary. Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Reshaped America. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992.

Woodworth, Steven E. Beneath a Northern Sky: A Short History of the Gettysburg Campaign. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2003.

Abraham Lincoln was among the most influential leaders that the world has ever seen. He was the sixteenth president of the USA. He was instrumental in dealing with the civil war. He showed America a new road during the Civil War which is also considered by many as the toughest period America ever faced. This paper will throw light upon the contribution of Abraham Lincoln. The paper will also present a comprehensive analysis of why he became such an influential leader in America.

“Lincoln warned the South in his Inaugural Address: “In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you…. You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it.” (Abraham Lincoln, 2008).

“”I think Slavery is wrong, morally, and politically. I desire that it should be no further spread in these United States, and I should not object if it should gradually terminate in the whole Union.” (Abraham Lincoln, 2008). He was one of the most instrumental in abolishing slavery in America, he cared and though about the people, his selflessness made him very popular and adorable among the people. Lincoln played a very huge role in avoiding a war with Britain in the year 1861, he believed in peaceful coexistence. America had a very strong army at that time and an even stronger navy even though Abraham Lincoln settled all the issues amicably. Had it been someone else in his position the conditions at that time would not have been the same. He made efforts to safeguard the interests of the people; abolishment of slavery is just a small example which he did. In addition to this he did numerous other things like he promoted the passage of the thirteenth amendment, he was instrumental in issuing the Emancipation proclamation and the same was declared in the year 1863. Lincoln had a knack of handpicking people who were supposed to work with him, he made sure that the people he picked were sensible and stuck to him when it came to decision making. This enabled Lincoln to work freely without coming under the pressure of anyone else.

“Abraham believed that the government should be a positive force, whose goal was to serve the people. He reasoned that in order for him to have significant influence and impact on the government, he must achieve a high position in government — preferably the position of the President of the United States. This goal eventually became his burning desire.” (The Compelling Story of Abraham Lincoln, 2008). Lincoln faced hardship almost all his life before taking charge as the president of the USA. His mother died of milk sickness when he was just nine years old. Lincoln never got along with his Father; he got along very well with his Step Mother but never got along with his Father. Lincoln faced bankruptcy early on in his life but these small challenges only made him stronger and doubled his will to achieve his goal.

He was elected as the President in the year 1860, his hard work and dedication paid off and he achieved his goal of becoming the President and serving the people. His speech better known as the Gettysburg address shaped the proceedings which were to take place in America. Unfortunately when the civil war was about to end, he was shot while watching a play with his wife. It is very fair to say that Abraham Lincoln was persistence personified; ignoring the defeats he had to face in life he marched on to reshape America. He gave a new dimension to America and even till date he is regarded as one of the finest leaders the world has ever seen. This is some achievement which takes a lot to achieve.

“The Emancipation Proclamation, announced on September 22 and put into effect on January 1, 1863, freed slaves in territories not under Union control. As Union armies advanced south, more slaves were liberated until all of them in Confederate hands (over three million) were freed. Lincoln later said: “I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper.” The proclamation made the abolition of slavery in the rebel states an official war goal. Lincoln then threw his energies into passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to permanently abolish slavery throughout the nation” (Letter to Albert, 2008).

“I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be “the Union as it was.”… My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views. I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free.” (Letter to the Horace Greely, 22 November 2008). This is a passage taken from the great proclamation which was made by him. The most significant contribution of his was to abolish slavery in America. This was really a very commendable job which was very difficult to complete, many criticized him for being too slow in abolishing slavery but he finally managed to do it. The people who criticized him were very demanding; it is very obvious that a social evil takes a lot of time to get rid off and hats off to Lincoln for doing exactly the same.

Conclusion

Lincoln was a great leader and there are no two ways about this, his persistence stood out and was an example for everyone to learn from, he was a born leader who inspired many a people. America witnessed prosperity and growth during his presidency. This goes to show that he was very good at managing people and this is a very important quality a leader must possess and Abraham Lincoln certainly had many more qualities in addition to this.

References

1. Abraham Lincoln. In Showcase.
2. The Compelling Story of Abraham Lincoln. In Cybernation. Web.
3. Abraham Lincoln. In The White House.
4. Letter to Horace Greely. In Abraham Lincoln Online.
5. Letter to Albert G Hodges. In Abraham Lincoln Online.