The Myth of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many Americans as the greatest president to ever hold office in the history of the United States, and his reputation is definitely well deserved. Lincoln wasn't scared to stand up and fight for what he knew was right. He was convinced that within the branches of government, the presidency alone was empowered not only to uphold the Constitution, but also to protect, and defend it. Lincoln was able to lead our country and preserve the Union, keeping the United States from splintering during the devastating times of the Civil War. As President, he built the Republican Party into a strong national organization, and he rallied most of the northern Democrats to the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most well known presidents in the history of the United States of America. He as thought to be the man who led this great country through the toughest times it had to encounter. His determination to get the United States through the Civil War is one of the best things that have ever happened for this country. Lincoln’s argument about the relationship between slavery, the Constitution, and the Union changed throughout the Civil War. Lincoln’s view of the purpose of the war was to save the Union because of the southern states seceding from the Union. However, the argument changed to the war being about slavery because of Fredrick Douglass’s speeches and the Confederates surrendering at

Abraham Lincoln was a true abolitionist; he was very committed to the end of slavery in America even though people thought differently of him. Lincoln spent a majority of his presidency making sure slavery, if it wasn’t during his term, was abolished for good. A man like this could never be classified as a racist, because his actions speak louder than words.

Abraham Lincoln, guided his country through the most devastating experience during his time—the Civil War. He is considered by many historians and people to have been the greatest American president. Abraham Lincoln, was a self-taught Illinois lawyer and a legislator with a belief that every man should be free in America. Many were shock that he had overcome several prominent continents in the Republicans Party’s nomination for president in 1860. In the North many people agreed that is was fair to let the slaves be free, but for the south who need slaves for picking cotton were not so happy. People in the South, called the confederates hated the idea of freeing the slaves, and this is how the Civil War started.

Early on in Lincoln’s political career he “expressed his devotion to the cause of protectionist tariffs, taxpayer subsidies for railroads and other corporations, and the nationalization of the money supply” (2). According to Lincoln, “the constitution stood in the way of his political ambitions” (3). If you cannot already tell, Lincoln seemed maybe he did not really care for the constitution or people like he said he did. He did not care to have equality between the races and wanted to put all the blacks in one place besides the United States. We should all be treated equally but Lincoln did not feel this way. Lincoln’s primary agenda for a Civil War was not to end slavery but to save the Union (8).

Abraham Lincoln is by far our most revered president in the history of the United States. He had a strong moral vision of where his country must go to preserve and enlarge the rights of all her people, but he was also a good man with a strong sense of character and a great discipline in the art of law; and he sought to continue the great and mighty legacy of the Constitution. He believed that the Founding Fathers had drawn up the Constitution without the mention of slavery because they felt that it would later die of a natural death. He would soon learn that that would not be the case.

The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War, by Thomas J. DiLorenzo completely shatters the illusion of the 16th President as the liberator of the slaves. DiLorenzo provides convincing evidence for Lincoln’s overt racism as expressed in his documented views on racial supremacy as stated in his desire to colonize all American blacks outside the United States (p. 4); Lincoln’s views were matched by the majority in the North who used such tools as state constitutional amendments to prohibit the emigration of black people into Northern states like Lincoln’s home of Illinois (p. 4); and that the Presidents war which killed 620, 000 Americans and destroyed 40% of the

Oates, Stephen B. Abraham Lincoln the Man behind the Myths. New York: Harper & Row, 1984. Print.

Abraham Lincoln’s presidential career was full of questionable actions. Thomas DiLorenzo author of, The Real Lincoln discusses Lincoln’s actions regarding racism, his refusal to emancipate the slaves, his continual tendency to act independently of Congress, and his radical reconstruction after the Civil War. DiLorenzo attacks each of these topics in his book and proves that Lincoln had his own agenda, and was not the picture perfect president everybody thought that he was.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America he was frequently referred to as the ‘’The great emancipator’’ and yet although he didn’t publicly call for the emancipation of the entire life. Lincoln established his public career by declaring that he was anti-slavery against slavery’s increasing but not for announcing immediate emancipation. However, the man who began as ‘’anti-slavery’’ eventually announced the emancipation proclamation in which freed all slaves in states that were in rebellion.

I agree that Lincoln certainly took advantage of his power when he declared temporary imprisonment of state legislators who were pro-secession, censored disloyal newspapers, and suspended the writ of habeas corpus because this took away the freedom of the people. These actions looked like a dictator authorized these, to be honest. In spite of his “breach of power” behaviors, I would still support his decisions because it was apparent that he did all of these for the sake of the nation. Because of these, the disunion of the two sections was avoided. These rash acts also prevented other states to secede that could destroy what the founding fathers

In Larry Madaras and James M. SoRelle’s book Taking Sides: Clashing Views in U.S. History Volume 1: The Colonial Period to Reconstruction the topic as to whether or not Abraham Lincoln was America’s greatest president during and after the eighteenth century is explored and debated by Phillip Shaw Paludan and Melvin E. Bradford. Paludan believes Lincoln was America’s greatest president on the grounds that he freed the slaves and kept the Union while the Civil War was going on. Bradford on the other hand believes Lincoln abused his power while being in office and did not follow the goals the Founding Fathers had set in the eighteenth century. Though Lincoln may have gone about his presidency a different way than others had previous to him, he still proved to be a great leader during the Civil War and was in fact America’s greatest president.

Abraham Lincoln is by far our most revered president in the history of the United States. He had a strong moral vision of where his country must go to preserve and enlarge the rights of all her people, but he was also a good man with a strong sense of character and a great discipline in the art of law; and he sought to continue the great and mighty legacy of the Constitution. He believed that the Founding Fathers had drawn up the Constitution without the mention of slavery because they felt that it would later die of a natural death. He would soon learn that that would not be the case.

Abraham Lincoln was considered by many American’s as one of the greatest Presidents of the United States. Having come from humble beginnings it could be said that Abraham Lincoln rose up to meet all the challenges that would greet him, and it could be argued that at the time the only person who could successfully guide the United States through the Civil War was Abraham Lincoln. At the time of his presidency, the United States was falling apart, with the South trying to secede from the North, creating much chaos that Lincoln had to deal with. He worked slowly and throughly, which sometimes got people agitated but he was a very careful working man and knew that it was better if he took his time. Abraham Lincoln was not

Abraham Lincoln and Slavery Many Americans believe that Abraham Lincoln was the “Great Emancipator,” the sole individual who ended slavery, and the man who epitomizes freedom. In his brief presidential term, Lincoln dealt with an unstable nation, with the South seceding from the country and in brink of leaving permanently. The differing ideologies between the North and South about the economy and slavery quickly lead to civil war.