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The Civil War brought about many things, such as revolution, justice, and tragedy, but it also birthed two truly great minds of their time. These individuals were Abraham Lincoln and Nathan Bedford Forrest. One led the North as president of the United States, while the other was a Lieutenant General of the Confederate Army. While both were brilliant and truly outstanding amongst their peers, one man truly outshined the other in regards to a stronger and more efficient leadership. While Lincoln faced more success in a national sense, Nathan Bedford Forrest clearly possessed more respected authority and was a stronger overall leader than Abraham Lincoln. Forrest’s methods may have been unorthodox and downright immoral, but at the end of the day he was feared by the Union and revered by the South. This is the true mark of a great leader. They should be respected by their followers and hated by their enemies. While the South ultimately lost the Civil War, the legacy of Forrest as a remarkable leader lived on, as he was immortalized in history and respected amongst his community.

As President of The United States, Lincoln wanted to keep these seceding Southern states to remain a part of America. He felt that the union was not just an arrangement to govern over the states, but it indeed symbolized the future of American freedom where slavery would be abolished for good and protected the rights of every human being. When the Confederates decided to attack Fort Sumter, a Union fort, in April of 1861, the peace broke. This attack was known to have started the American Civil

"Sir; The government of the Confederate States has hitherto foreborne from any hostile demonstrations against Fort Sumter, in hope that the government of the United States with a view to the amicable adjustment of all questions between the two governments, and to avert the calamities of war would voluntarily evacuate it.

Stephens begins his argument by stating that the splitting of the Union has been a bloodless one (Stephens 1). The author views this fact as an accomplishment, and he believes the bloodless state will endure due to the current evidence he sees (Stephens 1). Stephens, however, does recognize that this split led to the South altering the Constitution. The Constitution of the North was based on the assumption that all races are created equal, and the South could not abide with this foundation (Stephens 1). Even though the South’s Constitution has changed, Stephens believes that all of the essential content has been preserved, like the protection of live liberty and property (Stephens 1). The author’s explanation and presentation of these changes are very factual and unbiased because he simply presents the facts and attempts to stay away from theorizing. For instance, he does not theorize that this split will lead to war because the split, so far, has not indicated or suggested that

Thomas A bailey said,”Grant was an ignorant and confused President, and his eight long years of blunderland are generally regarded as a national disgrace.” Clearly, Bailey was not looking at Grant's accomplishments in the economic arena when writing this statement. C.Van Woodward described the years in which Grant was the president as “the all-time low point in statesmanship and political morality in our history.” Woodward must have forgotten about how Grant held the country together after the Civil War. Not only that but Arthur Schlesinger placed grant among the failures in his 1948 and 1962 presidential ratings.Historians should judge people in the context of their times, not before nor after. All of these three historians missjudged Grant, because they judged him by how president are now not how they used to be.All that grant was doing was putting the people and the country first to help evolutionate

The April 12 paper included information on the confederates asking Major Anderson to surrender Fort Sumter and strategies for the defense of the fort. In the Times article “The Forts in Charleston Harbor” there is a sense that the union forces have positioned themselves well and the confederates have waited too long allowing the opportunity for reinforcements to arrive if needed at Fort Sumter. This feeling can be seen in the final sentence where it reads: “But be the motive what it may, there is little doubt that they have lost the golden opportunity, and that the Stars and Stripes will continue to wave over the old fort, unless puerile negotiations should allow the Confederate force to prepare

Just as Northerners saw flaws in the Constitution, Southerners viewed it not to be perfect as well. President James Buchanan, a northern man with southern sympathies clarified, “As sovereign states, they and they alone, are responsible before God and the world for the slavery existing among them” (Document G). However, In Doc B, an anonymous writer defends the state’s rights that the constitution should protect slavery where it exists. The union will fall apart unless these rights are protected.

The presidency of Abraham Lincoln came during a highly radical and chaotic period of American history. For historians such as James McPherson, they see Lincoln as the greatest leader in American history. For McPherson, Lincoln succeeded in combining military pragmatism with the political ideologies of the North, as well as Lincoln’s own idealism, thus assuring Northern victory. However, not all historians agree that Lincoln was a masterful tactician. Chester Hearn, believes that although Abraham Lincoln was one of America’s most venerable statesmen, his presidency was marked by flaws and a general misunderstanding of how war is waged. McPherson’s Tried by War and Hearn’s Lincoln, The Cabinet and the Generals, make the argument for each of

America’s history is rich and full of countless heroes, scandals, and incredible stories. Perhaps one of the most interesting of those stories is that of Andrew Jackson’s. To some, he was a hero, but to others, he was their worst enemy. Being raised in the mountains of the Carolinas, he became the first “backcountry president” of the United States (Wilentz, 13). His fame, though, began years before his presidency.

Secession is when a territory or state withdrawals from a larger territory. It is significant in this chapter because

In preventing the tariff from happening, it appeared that Jackson was enabling dependency on foreign, European countries. “Without the protective tariff...America would always remain in a colonial relationship to Europe…[and] would leave America unable to provide its own means of defense…” (Watson, 113). However, this does not prove hypocrisy on Jackson’s part. Instead, it highlights his priorities, and it is evident that Jackson prioritized preservation of the Union over immediate independence. The controversy surrounding the tariff was escalating alarmingly. South Carolina politicians felt increasingly cornered by the possibility of federal legislation imposing on practices conducted in their own state. From their viewpoint, if the executive had the power to enforce a tariff on the trade that they, as an individual state, engaged in with foreign countries, there was no reason to believe the executive did not have license to enforce their power on other issues, such as slavery, which South Carolina was still dependent on at the time. “...South Carolina politicians...attacked [the tariff] with a fury that almost led to bloodshed...united...in their firm determination to preserve their way of life.” (Watson, 115-116). Jackson saw these rising tensions and understood them as the potential dissolution of the Union. He decided that maintaining a cohesive nation was more

- Nystrom, Justin A. "Reconstruction." In knowlouisiana.org Encyclopedia of Louisiana, David Johnson. Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, 2010-2018. October 30, 2015. http://www.knowlouisiana.org/entry/reconstruction

Hardly more than a month following Lincoln's victory came declarations of secession by South Carolina and other states, which were rejected as illegal by outgoing President James Buchanan and President-elect Lincoln.

In “Abraham Lincoln and the Fourth Estate: The White House and the Press during the American Civil War” Richard Carwardine discusses the incredible increase in the Press’ contribution to the American Civil War. Carwardine explains Abraham Lincoln’s role with the media and his use of newspapers as political weaponry from before the election and into his presidency. This topic is significant because it illustrates Abraham Lincoln’s intelligence and strengths as a president during the Civil War. The article gives insight to how Lincoln may have been as successful as he was during his presidency. Also, no previous political leader had had the task of managing an administration in a mass democracy where over a million of its citizens were

It is clear that Lincoln favored the holding and supporting of Fort Sumter much more than the general public realized. This is evident not only in Lincoln's original draft of his Inaugural Address but in his reaction to his advisors’ suggestions. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, wrote that when Lincoln learned that Secretary of State Seward believed that it would be “impossible to relieve and reinforce the garrison,” he was “much distressed with the conclusions of the military officers” (Doc. 5).