Linocln Essay
Peter LoDuca 3/7/13
History 111 William Ennis
The Legacy of President Abraham Lincoln
More than 150 years have passed since Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. His quest to prevent slavery from spreading into western U.S. Territories, which began as a political platform for his candidacy for President of United States continued as an ideological mission throughout his administration until his death. It should have ended a political career before it even started. Lincoln’s own evolution which led to an allegiance to a higher authority with respect to the morality of slavery went directly against every social, political, economic and constitutional norm of his day. His belief that every man is created equal under God which included slaves was an issue that divided a nation, precipitated one of the bloodiest civil wars and nearly destroyed a form of democratic government that the founding fathers had fought hard to create a century before Lincoln’s time.
While the issue of slavery was at the forefront of every political, social and economic debate in America during Lincoln’s first term candidacy for President, the overriding goal and greater concern was preservation of the Union at all costs. The obstacles that Lincoln faced in seeking to bridge a divided nation during his presidency may not be that far removed from very similar issues that the Obama Administration faced in its first term and continuing into the second. The differing economic and social debates between North and South in the 1860’s are now replaced by battles between Conservative Republicans and Liberal Democrats. Slave labor issues that were at the fore in precipitating a Civil War are not too different from the serious concerns of a modern day dwindling middle class and outsourcing of work to China, Southeast Asia and India where cheaper labor is abundant. The Lincoln presidency immediately began with a declaration of War
History 111 William Ennis
The Legacy of President Abraham Lincoln
More than 150 years have passed since Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. His quest to prevent slavery from spreading into western U.S. Territories, which began as a political platform for his candidacy for President of United States continued as an ideological mission throughout his administration until his death. It should have ended a political career before it even started. Lincoln’s own evolution which led to an allegiance to a higher authority with respect to the morality of slavery went directly against every social, political, economic and constitutional norm of his day. His belief that every man is created equal under God which included slaves was an issue that divided a nation, precipitated one of the bloodiest civil wars and nearly destroyed a form of democratic government that the founding fathers had fought hard to create a century before Lincoln’s time.
While the issue of slavery was at the forefront of every political, social and economic debate in America during Lincoln’s first term candidacy for President, the overriding goal and greater concern was preservation of the Union at all costs. The obstacles that Lincoln faced in seeking to bridge a divided nation during his presidency may not be that far removed from very similar issues that the Obama Administration faced in its first term and continuing into the second. The differing economic and social debates between North and South in the 1860’s are now replaced by battles between Conservative Republicans and Liberal Democrats. Slave labor issues that were at the fore in precipitating a Civil War are not too different from the serious concerns of a modern day dwindling middle class and outsourcing of work to China, Southeast Asia and India where cheaper labor is abundant. The Lincoln presidency immediately began with a declaration of War
References: 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/business/abraham-lincoln-as-management-guru.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1& 2. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/purpose-and-effects-of-the-emancipation-proclamation.html 3. http://ashbrook.org/publications/oped-owens-04-guelzo/ 4. http://millercenter.org/president/lincoln/essays/biography/9 5. http://www.nps.gov/liho/historyculture/secdemocrary.htm 6. http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/nhhs/html/union.htm 7. http://uspolitics.about.com/od/presidenc1/tp/obama_v_lincoln.htm 8. http://www.san.beck.org/LincolnCivilWar.html