The Importance Of Lincoln's Role In The Civil War

Over the course of the Civil War and his presidency, Abraham Lincoln deliver many influential addresses to the public. Probably most Americans would consider the three most influential of these addresses to be the famed Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s first and second inaugural Address. In reading these three addresses, it seems apparent that Lincoln views the basis of the conflict to be the nation separating. From the text Opposing Viewpoints in American History, it is quite clear that Lincolns main goal throughout his presidency was not to abolish slavery (though it was a high priority of his) but rather to preserve the Union. Evidence for this can be seen in the Gettysburg Address when Lincoln says, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation (the one the fathers brought forth), or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure” (parenthesis added). Furthermore, in Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, he tells the South that he is not planning on taking their property. If slavery were the main cause of the war, that would be his highest priority. Finally, in his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln asserts, “While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation.” Lincoln went on to say that both parties wanted to avoid war but “one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.”

On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as president of the United States. In his inaugural speech, he declared that the Constitution was a more perfect union than the earlier Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, and that this was a binding contract. He said he didn’t have any plans to invade the southern states, but that he would use force to maintain possession of federal property.

When President Lincoln first called for troops to put down the confederate rebellion, he made no connection between this action and an attempt to end slavery. In fact, he explicitly stated "the utmost care will be observed to avoid any devastation, any destruction of, or interference with, property..." At this point, slavery was not yet integral to the struggle, it was much more important for the Union to air on the side of political prudence and avoid angering loyal boarder states. However, despite this lack of political dialogue, many abolitionists, slaves, and free blacks felt the war to preserve the union could also be a war to end slavery. In the end, they were right, as military need overwhelmed potential political dangers, slaves

The freedom of America’s slaves has always been accredited to Abraham Lincoln, but he was not always the complete abolitionist as he is commonly portrayed. The “house divided”, as Lincoln depicts it in his famous ‘House Divided’ speech, of the United States during the Civil War, was not always lead towards the freedom of all mankind, and there is sufficient evidence to support this claim. The sixteenth president is most commonly remembered for inducing the courage and determination to end the Civil War, with the Emancipation Proclamation, although when it more closely studied he did not cross the great divide of enslavement vs. freedom with the submittal of that fabled document. When following the many famous quotes and speeches of Lincoln’s life, it appears that he was against all slavery and bondage. At the same time, when more closely examined, the quotes and speeches actually leaned towards his lack of strong opinion on the outcome of slavery. Lincoln is perceived as the most famous revolutionary of American history, but he does not live up to his legacy of being the eradicator of forced servitude.

Washington D.C., summer 1862. The Civil War had been going on for over a year, and it was not going well for Abraham Lincoln. 11 of the 15 southern states where slavery was legal had formed the Confederate States of America (CSA) and were waging a war to break free from the United States. Lincoln was determined that the nation was not going to fall apart on his watch. During the first year of the civil war, the Confederate Army had won the majority of important battles. When Lincoln became president, he had had no intention of abolishing slavery. Though he personally despised slavery and had won the presidency on an anti-slavery platform, he would gladly have given up any chance of ending slavery in the South if it meant that the Confederate states would rejoin the United States.

Abraham Lincoln was elected as the sixteenth president of the united states in 1860. This made the southern state furious. They knew that Lincoln was against slavery and they were very fearful that he would change their entire lifestyle by abolishing slavery. He once said: “I am naturally anti-slavery, if slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” This caused many southern states to secede one by one. The first state to secede was South Carolina. South Carolina was so angry by the election that they seceded before Lincoln even went into office. Then in 1861, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas all succeeded. A total of eleven states. Eventually they formed the Confederate States of America. They wanted to be recognized as an independent nation but Lincoln refused to recognize them as an independent nation. This caused a war to break out.

In 1861, Northern and Southern states bumped heads over the issues of states rights’ and how they went against federal rights. This disagreement initiated westward expansion and the outburst of slavery into the American Civil War. In 1860, eleven southern states seceded from the union to form the Confederate States of America due to the election of Abraham Lincoln who was an anti-slavery republican. As the War Between the States worsened so did economic difference among the northern and southern states which turn neighbors against neighbors. In 1865 the Confederates surrendered and the end result of the Civil War turned out to be the goriest war ever fought on American territory.

President Lincoln became president in 1860, causing the secession of South Carolina and many other states from the Union. They didn’t believe in the same rights as President Lincoln was going to put into action. Fort Sumter of South Carolina (a confederate state) was still held down by the union and their troops because the confederate states were such a new dynamic. Because of this, South Carolina decided to bombard and fire on Fort Sumter, which began a thirty-four hour battle. The confederates just wanted their land filled with people that shared the same belief system as everyone else. They wanted the union out of their harbor and they believed the way to do that when denied their wish, was to attack. Sydmonds explains my view on this issue very well, “Lincoln did not seek or expect a military solution. He had no intention of forcing the issue, believing as he did that the majority of Southerners retained some latent loyalty to the old flag and that they had simply been swept up by the emotion of the moment. He hoped that a period of quiet resolve would bring most of them to their senses and allows a national reunification without the shedding of blood. Time, he hoped, would be the great healer.”2 This all happened out of a sort of emotional

Before the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, the Civil War had been going on for two years. UNION VICTORIES The Emancipation Proclamation was signed on September 22, 1862, but it did not take effect until January 1, 1863 (Emancipation Proclamation 1863). This took place during the Civil War, which was fought between the Union States and the Confederate States of America. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free the slaves, because it only applied to the areas that the Union had no power in. It did not apply to the Southern area that the Union already had taken control of or occupied. It also did not apply to the slave states that were already a part of the Union or the border states. It applied only to the areas that were under the control of the Confederate States. The Union Army had no control there, so they could not enforce it (CORNALE NOTES). The Emancipation Proclamation had a small impact practically, but had a larger symbolic effect, and led to the Thirteenth Amendment following the victory of the Union in 1865 (Emancipation Proclamation 1863). EMCANIPATOR DEFINTIYON Lincoln should not be known the “Great Emancipator.”

There is many important times from the past and many of them are very significant. One very important moment in history was when Abraham Lincoln was president because he changed many things that were very important. He was the United States 16th president. He believed like the constitution said that all men are created equal. He fought so that all the African Americans can be treated as equal as the white man. He was one of the people who changed the future for the African American people and it was really hard for him but he did what he could. Lincoln did want them to be treated as the white people but he didn’t believe that they should be equal politically. He didn’t want them to have the right to vote he just wanted them to be treated like

The freedom of America’s slaves has always been accredited to Abraham Lincoln, but he was not always the complete abolitionist as he is commonly portrayed. The “house divided”, as Lincoln depicts it in his famous ‘House Divided’ speech, of the United States during the Civil War, was not always lead towards the freedom of all mankind, and there is sufficient evidence to support this claim. The sixteenth president is most commonly remembered for inducing the courage and determination to end the Civil War, with the Emancipation Proclamation, although when it more closely studied he did not cross the great divide of enslavement vs. freedom with the submittal of that fabled document. When following the many famous quotes and speeches of Lincoln’s life, it appears that he was against all slavery and bondage. Although when they are more closely examined, the quotes and speeches actually leaned towards his lack of strong opinion on the outcome of slavery. Lincoln is perceived as the most famous revolutionary of American history, but he does not live up to his legacy of being the eradicator of forced servitude.

The Civil War was the worst crisis in American history, pitting two sides of a split nation against one another in bloody battles that persisted for four exhausting years. It was a war that neither side claimed to want, and that neither side claimed to start. Although popular belief places the blame with the South because they fired the first shot, there is considerable evidence that Lincoln, realizing war was inevitable, coerced the South into firing that first fateful shot.

No doubt about it President Lincoln saw the importance of our government and America 153 years ago. I think we all should learn about our government and we will the importance of it. For instance, we take many of our rights for granted that in other parts of the world the government would have you killed or detained and put in a concentration camp. Like practicing our freedom of speech and peacefully assemble right. We have seen these used very frequently in the past month or so. If we tried that in another country like North Korea for example, we would probably be killed on the spot, there most likely would be due process and a fair trail another right we have here in America. Also we have a representative form of democracy in which we elect

December 20, South Carolina led the way in becoming the first southern state to separate from the union. In February,1861 South Carolina and the rest of the southern states formed the Confederate States of America headed by Jefferson Davis as their first president. In the beginning of December congress came together and introduced compromise proposals. Abraham Lincoln didn't agree with the states separating and argued against compromise when congress convened they couldn't come to agreement on none of the issues. the southern states won their proposal protecting their interest in slavery. During the first few

The impact of the Civil War was to protect the foundation of slavery. Before the Civil War most African Americans were owned by southern white folks. In 1851 , Sojourner Truth, a former slave, attended the women's rights convention where she provided the crowd with a powerful speech. The speech she gave was about her thoughts on slavery and how she despised slavery. Nonetheless Sojourner Truth wasn't the only one who despises slavery, Abraham Lincoln was another person who thought it was cruel the way the southerners would treat their slaves. During Abraham's lincoln's presidency in 1863 he addressed the issue through a speech as well. The speech was referred to the ‘’Gettysburg Address.’’ The Civil War changed Americans' perspective on freedom and