Derek Lewis Mr. Pointer U.S.

History/ Per 5 December 1, 1013 Abraham Lincoln With Abraham Lincoln being the sixteenth president of the United States of America, he pushed through a hard childhood to make his achievements before he was murdered by John Wilkes Both on April 14, 1865. He was the brave president that led the union during the civil war, being his greatest achievement. The Emancipation Proclamation is his second biggest achievement that he achieved during his presidency. When Lincoln was nine he lost his mother. He was born in Kentucky, and then moved to Indiana and Illinois by his early twenties. Once he was in Illinois he went off on his own getting into the business of transporting goods. He wasnt in this business for very long because once he got to New Orleans he witnessed slavery firsthand. Later going back home he got into the railroad business and scrapped his fathers land. Lincoln volunteered in the Black Hawk War. This war was a push against Indians towards the west. The men elected him to lead them into war. After the war Lincoln did many things including his beginning in the study of law. On his own he started a very successful law practice called Abe Lincolns Youth. In 1842 Mary Todd became Mrs. Lincoln. Abe and Mary werent in a happy relationship and constantly second guessed their relationship. In 1843 they had their first child named Robert and then in 1846 Edward was born. Four years later Edward died and their third son Willie was born. Then their fourth son Thomas was born in 1853. Willie died in 1862 and Thomas died in 1871. The Lincolns were left with their first born Robert. Lincoln wasnt very successful in both the Illinois and United States legislatures. Several law cases were lost by Lincoln. He was passed over for the Republican Partys vice presidential nominee. He

Derek Lewis Mr. Pointer U.S. History/ Per 5 December 1, 1013 lost to Stephen Douglas when he ran for U.S. Senate. These losses didnt slow him down when he continued on to win the presidential election of 1860. The Republican Party became a strong national organization while Lincoln was President. Major Robert Anderson, commander of Fort Sumter, sent a request to Washington, which Lincoln met the request and secessionists saw it as an act of war. Lincoln was disappointed in his failure to see that the South was preparing for war. Lincoln then called upon the states to send detachments the totaled up to be 75,000 troops so they could recapture forts, protect Washington. This caused States to choose sides. Lincoln soon realized he must take immediate control of the war and come up with a plan to end the rebellion. He then put up a blockade of all confederate ports and suspended habeas corpus. The north and congress supported his decision. It was obvious that to be successful in the war effort bipartisan support was essential. The Copperheads despised Lincoln for not making a compromise on slavery; on the other hand the Radical Republicans wanted him to move faster. John C. Frmont started martial law in Missouri. Lincoln overruled his action and won over 40,000 troops from Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri. Soon after that the Trent Affair caused problems with Great Britain, which was caused by the Navy illegally taking a British ship called the Trent and captured two confederates. Lincoln avoided war by letting the men go. Lincoln had to learn military terms and did so by reading and studying Elements of Military Art and Science. He began to keep track of telegraphic reports coming into D.C. Lincoln and the military became very close throughout the war and he handpicked his generals by their pasts. Lincolns hand was forced and had to replace Cameron with Stanton as war Secretary. Stanton was a conservative Democrat when he started and became an anti-slavery Republican under Lincolns presidency.

Derek Lewis Mr. Pointer U.S. History/ Per 5 December 1, 1013 Lincoln had two priorities: to ensure the that Washington was well-defended, and to conduct an aggressive war effort that would satisfy the demand in the North for prompt. Henry Halleck made it clear to Lincoln of the critical need to control strategic points; one of those was the Mississippi River, he knew that there were more important things then capturing territory. George McClellan was appointed general-in-chief after the union lost the first battle of Bull Run. McClellan came up with the Peninsula Campaign, which the goal was to take Richmond by moving the Army of the Potomac by boat to the peninsula and then overland to the Confederate capital. McClellan believed that the campaign failed because Lincoln insisted on keeping a few troops to defend D.C. Lincoln knew that the Federal governments power was limited when it came to slavery. At the beginning of the war Lincoln tried to get the states to accept compensated emancipation in return for their prohibition of slavery. Lincoln rejected two geographically limited emancipation attempts by Major General Frmont and Major General Hunter, stating that they didnt have the power to do so and it would make the Border States leave the union. Congress passed an act banning slavery on all federal territory on June 19, 1862 upon Lincoln word. Also in June of 1862 the Second Confiscation Act was passed, which made it so courts could free any slave of anyone convicted of aiding the rebellion. Lincoln didnt believe that it was Congresss power to free slaves but passed the bill. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on September 2, 1862 and was put into effect on January 1, 1863. Within the next 100 days Lincoln prepared his soldiers for emancipation. Their mission was to set free all three million slaves that were in Confederate territory. Lincoln stated I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing the right thing, than I do in signing this paper. Lincoln was determined to make colonies for the newly freed slaves.

Derek Lewis Mr. Pointer U.S. History/ Per 5 December 1, 1013 With the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, Lincoln was able to redefine the war effort to the states. Lincoln didnt believe that the world wouldnt care what he had to say at the stage of Gettysburg but he was proved wrong when the Address became the most quoted speech in American History. Lincoln stated that the nation was actually born on 1776 not 1789 conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Lincoln was finally persuaded to change command to General Grant after the failure of Meade and the passivity of the Army of the Potomac. Lincoln was very impressed by Grants many victories. Lincoln stated about grant that I cant spare this man. He fights. Grant made it clear that the Union Army could finally pursue the victories it needed to win the war. Grant also agreed with Lincoln about the use of black troops. Lincoln feared that Grant would take part in the presidential candidacy in 1864. Since this fear Lincoln had he was pushed to make Grant Lieutenant General, which George Washington was the last person to hold this title. In 1864 Grant started his Overland Campaign, which consisted of many Union deaths in battles. Grant had lost a third of his army and he stated to Lincoln that I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer. With Grants big losses of men and the Lee losing about the same amount it made it harder for the Confederacy due to the fact that they lacked reinforcements. On the other hand the Union had many reinforcements due to the draft throughout the North. Lincoln gave Grant permission to basically destroy the cities and farms of the South. This also allowed General Sherman to March through Georgia that was basically a sixty mile swath. Lincoln mastered the job of a politician, which he brought in War Democrats such as Stanton and Johnson. Lincoln spent a majority of his time speaking to other politicians using his patronage

Derek Lewis Mr. Pointer U.S. History/ Per 5 December 1, 1013 powers to hold the factions of his party together. The Radicals were constantly trying to drop Lincoln off the 1864 ticket. With Grants bloody battles, the losses made the re-election very hard for Lincoln. The Republicans feared that Lincoln would be defeated. Lincoln pledged to defeat the South before he let the White House out of his hold. He Stated This morning, as for some days past, it seems exceedingly probable that this Administration will not be re-elected. Then it will be my duty to so co-operate with the President elect, as to save the Union between the election and the inauguration; as he will have secured his election on such ground that he cannot possibly save it afterward. Lincoln would not show his cabinet the pledge but insisted the sign the closed envelope. Lincoln gave Grant more troops and renewed the support of the war effort. The National Union Party was united and energized as Lincoln made emancipation the central issue. In the re-election Lincoln had all but three states behind him and received seventy eight percent of the Union soldiers vote. Lincoln realized that he must reconstruct the South for any of this war to make sense, which he began during the war. Lincoln was asked how the defeated confederates should be treated, he responded with let em up easy. On December 8, 1863 Lincolns Amnesty Proclamation offered pardons to all who had not held a Confederate civil office, had not mistreated Union prisoners, and would sign an oath of allegiance. During reconstruction Lincoln had to figure out how to put a form of leadership in the subdued Southern States. Lincoln appointed Generals Johnson and Steele as military governors in Tennessee and Arkansas. In Louisiana General Banks to promote Lincolns ten percent plan. The Democrats accused Lincoln to be using military power to his and the Republicans political aspirations. In 1864 the Radicals announced their own plan caused the Wade-Davis Bill.

Derek Lewis Mr. Pointer U.S. History/ Per 5 December 1, 1013 The Emancipation Proclamation didnt apply to all states but increased pressure on congress to outlaw slavery with a constitutional amendment. Lincoln thought that the amendment would clench the whole matter. The amendment was passed on its second try and became the Thirteenth Amendment. As the war came to an end Lincoln passed Senator Sumners Freedmans Bureau bill that was designed to help meet the needs of freed slaves. Lincoln adhered to the Whig theory of the presidency, this gave Congress the primary responsibility for writing the laws and Executive enforced them. The Wade-Davis bill, along with three others was the only bills by congress that Lincoln ever vetoed. In 1862 Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which made government-held land available for a very low cost. He also signed the Morril LandGrant Colleges Act in 1862, which provided government grants for agricultural colleges in each state. John Wilkes Booth came up with a plan to kidnap Lincoln in exchange for confederate prisoners in 1864. Booth changed his plan after he heard Lincoln give a speech about promoting voting rights for blacks on April 11, 1865 and decided he would assassinate Lincoln. The night that Lincoln went to Fords Theatre, Grant and his wife decided not to go and Lincolns body guard left for drinks> Lincoln was left with his wife in his box. At about 10:13 Booth had reached Lincoln and shoots him, Major Rathbone grappled Booth until he was stabbed and Booth got away. About ten days later Booth was found on a farm in Virginia. After a fight with Union troops, Sergeant Boston Corbett shot and killed Booth on April 26. Lincoln was a religious skeptic or an iconoclast. Throughout his life Lincoln used religious imagery and language to reflect his beliefs. Lincoln often quoted and praised the bible, and often went to church with his wife. During the 1840s Lincoln subscribed to the Doctrine of Necessity, which is the belief that the human mind was controlled by a higher power.

Derek Lewis Mr. Pointer U.S. History/ Per 5 December 1, 1013 Surveys have been given to scholars about ranking presidents since the 1940s, he is typically ranked in the top three, often number one. Scholars of history and politics rank him number one, while scholars of law rank him second after Washington. With his assassination it made him a national martyr and endowed him with a recognition of mythic proportion. Lincoln is viewed as champion for human liberty by abolitionists. Many people in the south consider Lincoln as a man of outstanding ability but not all. Lincoln became a hero to political conservative by the 1970s because of his intense nationalism, support for business, his insistence on stopping the spread of human bondage, his acting in terms of Lockean and Burkean principles on behalf of both liberty and tradition, and his devotion to the principles of the Founding Fathers. Lincoln favored high tariffs, banks, internal improvements, and railroad, proving him as a Whig activist. In the late 1960s Lincolns views on racial issues were being second guessed by liberals, such as historian Lerone Bennett. Bennett has called Lincoln a white supremacist and won wide attention for it. Authors stated that he wasnt as bad as most politicians in his day and was actually a moral visionary who advanced the abolitionist cause. Lincoln-the-emancipator was shifted to the argument that blacks freed themselves or they at least were responsible for the Emancipation Proclamation. Barry Schwartz wrote erosion, fading prestige, benign ridicule about Lincolns image. Donald stated that Lincoln was endowed with the personality trait of negative capability. Hollywood portrays Lincoln always in a flattering light. Lincolns portrait is found upon the penny and five dollar bill, also including the Lincoln Memorial on the back. He also appears on many postage stamps and is memorialized in many towns, cities, and county names; one of those is the capital of Nebraska. The most famous of his memorials is

Derek Lewis Mr. Pointer U.S. History/ Per 5 December 1, 1013 the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The others would include Mount Rushmore, Fords Theatre, and Petersen House, where he died. There are libraries and museums dedicated to him in Springfield, Illinois, not far from his home and tomb. Schwartz argues that the memory of Lincoln is sacred and provides the nation with a moral symbol inspiring and guiding American life. He also argues that Lincoln served as a means for seeing the worlds disappointments, for making its sufferings not so much explicable as meaningful. Roosevelt happened to quote Lincoln while he was preparing America for war, to clarify the threat of Germany and Japan. The phrase what would Lincoln do? is communally used in America. Schwartz also states that after World War two, Lincolns symbolic power died, and this fading hero is symptomatic of fading confidence in national greatness.