The process that Abraham Lincoln took to create, and fulfill the Emancipation Proclamation was complicated. The first step to creating the Emancipation Proclamation was to be convinced personally that it was the correct thing to do and the timing was right. The second thing he had to do was convince other people with power that the timing was right and it was the correct thing to do. Abraham Lincoln was advised by his advisers to wait until the battle of Antietam was won by the Union. Once the battle was won, Abraham offered the rebellious states to join the Union, the consequence for not joining the Union was the loss of personal property; slaves. Lincoln told his supporters that if the rebellious states refused to join the Union their…
Lincoln entered the Presidency rooted in the beliefs that the executive branch’s power came second to the legislative, as stated in the Constitution. His “immediate predecessors—Democrats Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan—had set the pattern for a weak executive, conceiving their roles as little more than clerks...who either approved or disapproved legislation developed from Congress’s agenda,” (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 175). However, following the secession of seven southern states immediately after Lincoln’s election, his focus became reuniting the union: “he sought to reassure his fellow countrymen and to prevent more states from seceding,” (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 175). To accomplish this, Lincoln was headfast in his decisions, often reaching beyond traditional executive power and, in effect, overriding the other branches of government. These decisions were extremely controversial: Groiler Encyclopedia says, “As a commander in chief Lincoln was soon noted for vigorous…
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States (1861-1865) was born is 1809, he came from a very humble family of farmers. Lincoln was an ambitious young man who learned to write and read and educated himself into becoming a respectful lawyer earning his license in 1837 and becoming a renowned public figure in Springfield, Illinois. He had an outstanding impact in the 1850’s when the Republican Party was fighting against slavery also known as the ‘’ Free-Soilers, and Anti-slavery Democrats’’. Lincoln got recognized during several slavery debates in a senate run in 1858 against S. Douglas claiming that: ‘’Slavery violated the natural rights of Black people.’’ He entered the presidential election in 1860 during the midst of slavery…
In addition, he appeals to the guilt and obloquy felt about the war by the American people, both north and south. In order to do this, Lincoln calls to action those responsible: everyone, even himself; he wants the southerners to willfully renounce slavery because it is wrong according to the will of God saying: “It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces” and with this, he appeals to the consciences of the former southern slave owners, and to show them that banning slavery was right. (44-47). Furthermore, as stated earlier, he uses his position as president to convince the people to strive for this change, but this might also cause a rift between himself and the southerners. In order to remedy this, he references the bible which both the northerners and…
The book Abraham Lincoln, written by James M. McPherson, constitutes not only Abraham Lincoln’s life, but also his remarkable presidency. Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He also was considered a peacemaker because his passion was to follow God’s law and create every man to be equal. During Lincoln’s first term of presidency in 1860-1864, he followed his passion by abolishing slavery, otherwise known as the Thirteenth Amendment. Following his first term, his second term’s goal is now known as the Fifteenth Amendment. To say the least, McPherson argues the brilliancy of Abraham Lincoln’s ideas and the colossal contribution Lincoln had regarding the United States of America.…
The United States of America was filled with tension because of numerous events. In the day that Abraham Lincoln became president, Southern states seceded. To make the situation even worse, the Civil War took place to resolve this conflict between the South and the North. President Lincoln was left with the trust to unite the Confederacy and the Union once again. President Lincoln’s duty of preserving the Union was more important to him than to give the slaves freedom because he just wanted to use the African-Americans for military force, political power, and to end the Civil War.…
Source B states that Lincoln “challenged the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which was essentially a pro-slavery bill… Ultimately he lost the nomination as its Vice Presidential candidate in 1856. However, he continued his campaigning against slavery.” This citation shows how though Lincoln lost all hope of getting power to stop slavery, he still encouraged the fight against slavery. During Abraham Lincoln’s youth, he strived to understand the talk of politics and what they are Source C depicts, “As a boy he listened to his father and friends talk about the issues of the day, and then worked the idea in his mind until he understood it… he would repeat things over and over until it was fixed in his mind.” Abraham Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union even though he knew other people disagreed with him. “He put in long hours attending to the countless details of running the country, including spending the entire night, sometimes, at the telegraph office, waiting for the latest news from his generals.” Source C portrays. Abraham Lincoln’s success shows us that determination leads to…
When someone thinks about Lincoln, there are two major ideas that come to mind: Slavery and the Civil War. These two factors are what have defined this president. Lincoln was completely against slavery. He saw it as morally wrong and thought it should be extinct. In a speech, he stated, “Let us discard all this quibbling about [this] race and that race and the other race being inferior… Let us discard all…
Most people say there are two sides to every story, but there can only be one side to the story of people, being denied as to having equal rights, no matter their color or creed. It 's only reasonable to believe that to be true to this principle, slavery had to be abolished. The fact that many slave owners were prestigious people in history such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other founding father acknowledges the consequences slavery America 's moral history, while illustrating how difficult it might be to conform to the social standards in that era while defending slavery as a necessary evil. Abraham Lincoln’s stance on slavery remained one of the central issues in American history at the time. Around the period when Lincoln delivered his Emancipation Proclamation, many debates for this decree were being perpetuated by both black and white abolitionist. The brutal disagreement would tear apart the North and the South states which was carried to its fullest extent in the United States in the years before and during the Civil War.…
Abraham Lincoln is known as "The Great Emancipator" who freed the slaves. Yet in the early part of his career and even in the early stages of his presidency, Lincoln had no objection to slavery where it already existed, namely, in the Southern states. As a savvy politician, he always wanted to maintain the union, and he would use any device to keep the country together. However, his views on slavery evolved during his presidency, and the personal opposition towards slavery that he claimed he always had began to show through in his policy. As Lincoln noted in 1864, "I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel" (Lorence 306). Despite such strongly worded beliefs, Lincoln policies towards slavery often shifted for the sake of political expedience. For example, he pledged that states would be compensated for their loss of property as a result of emancipation to keep the border states from seceding. Still, by 1862 Lincoln had become firm in his convictions that slavery must be abolished. He even pressed for a constitutional amendment to ensure freedom to all the slaves. Lincoln espoused strong anti-slavery views, but he often put what he viewed as the good of the country ahead of the cause. Despite many detours along the way, he proved himself to be "The Great Emancipator." As a self-made politician from humble origins, Lincoln struggled in his early political life to define his identity. He described his childhood as "The short and simple annals of the poor. That's my life, and that's all you or any one else can make of it" (Oates 4). Lincoln felt extremely embarrassed about his background and worked his entire life to overcome the limitations he faced. He made himself a "literate and professional man who commanded the respect of his colleagues" (Oates 4). It is difficult to assess Lincoln's early views on slavery and race because they were constantly changing in an effort to achieve such…
Abraham Lincoln’s star shined when his administration took place during the Civil War proving excellency in both politically and rhetorically. From that war the 16th president got his most famous nick name as the Great Emancipator that dwells between Americans till the present day. However, history doesn’t say quit the same about the complete representation of Abraham Lincoln’s attitude towards the war and even the issue of slavery. Such a title proposes an acceptance that the civil war was a war for abolishing slavery and freeing the slaves under the lead of a free man who is motivated by the moral code of equality between blacks and whites. The sentiment about slavery was totally different than today’s. Slaves were private property and not even considered as human beings who have lost rights as Americans. Actually, slaves were a joker in the pack to both Northerners and Southerners. Saying all this make the slavery issue seems the cover of the civil war. Therefore, the goal of this chapter’s second section is to examine whether slavery was used only as a front image to fulfil a higher aim and securing the country from the danger that disturbed it with the threat of dissolving the union.…
First, Lincoln prevented free voting to allow for the states to decide their own fate. One could easily argue that Lincoln began an entire war, not over slavery, but over state's rights. Lincoln staunchly felt a strong, centralized government was necessary and he clearly wasn't…
In 1854, Lincoln stated the following as an abolitionist of slavery. “This declared indifference, but as I must think, real covert zeal for the spread of slavery, I cannot but hate. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself.” He was more desired to promote equality, and this could only happen in the authorities and powers operated on making people feel free rather than being slaves. He was aware that the U.S constitution would grant freedom to the slaves since it was part of the clause, which is stated in the U.S Constitution following the democratic strategies.…
The Advent of emancipation added the number of free Americans by a great deal. This transformation of status weakened the south, strengthening the North. The slaves in the south were a possible force in aiding the Confederates against the North, which would have been a grand blow to the Union government. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was a genius step of weakening south, economically, socially and force wise. The European colonists and slave masters who completely depended on slave labor and slave trade would never join hands with the Union government and so were a possible force together with the Confederates. Gradual emancipation and the abolishing of the slave trade and forced labor was a stealth weapon of weakening the possible force and the South. Many freed slaves began running to Union lines, and this provided the Union with more soldiers (Howell, 2006).…
Lincoln was a strong, confident president who remained steadfast in his principles. At a time of crisis he led the nation into an unpopular civil war. He could have gone the easy route, and ignored the Confederate States of America, ergo avoiding conflict. However, he felt that the union was something exceptional, and was worth preserving. Lincoln was less concerned about his own personal life and what people thought of him. He remained strong and he fought for our country and his principles. President Lincoln gave his life and sacrificed the lives of his fellow American so the union would be preserved.…