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The Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln

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Abraham Lincoln has been called the greatest president in all of American history. His principles were dedicated to the survival of the United States during one of the most gruesome and bloody wars in the country 's history, the American Civil War. During his presidency, he fought for the emancipation of slaves because he believed the institution of slavery was morally unjust. His ideals, which appealed to the founding principles of the country, "energized and mobilized" the union and kept it alive during the long months of the war. His leadership during those months changed the fairly new nation of America for the better. Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky, to Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. His early …show more content…

Contemporary biographer Josiah G. Holland wrote, "At eight o 'clock, the hall of the House of Representatives was filled to its utmost capacity, and when Mr. Lincoln appeared he was received with the most tumultuous applause. The speech which he made on that occasion is so full of meaning, so fraught with prophecy, so keen in its analysis, so irresistible in its logic, so profoundly intelligent concerning the politics of the time, and, withal, so condensed in the expression of every part, that no proper idea can be given of it through any description or abbreviation. It must be given entire" (mrlincolnandfreedom.org). The address focused on major issues of the time, like slavery and the division of powers between the state governments and the national government. To Lincoln, the most pressing issue was slavery and its place in the West as the nation continued to expand. He felt that this issue was dividing the country, and soon the nation would have to decide to either oppose or support it. The South supported slavery because it helped to enhance its economy and lifestyle which was dependent on the cheap labor that the slaves provided. The North however, opposed slavery because they questioned its morality. The "House Divided" speech, in particular, was considered to contain extremely radical content for the

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