The Great Emancipator or a white, racist, bigot? These two viewpoints defined Abraham Lincoln throughout the course of history, but in reality, he was neither. Lincoln was a self-educated man and despite coming from poorer roots, was highly ambitious as a lawyer and leader of the Illinois Whigs. Personally, he was a very logical and honest person, skeptical of religion and ambitious. Despite this, he suffered from depression and was very superstitious. It is important to note that he was highly accepting of people, even if they were seen as the” swamp of society”; he always hated human bondage and that it strayed from the ideals of the Founders, whom he idolized, and was a means of white supremacy that mocked the Declaration of Independence. …show more content…
However, the South painted him as a South-hating abolitionist who vowed to entirely destroy slavery. Even though after Lincoln won the election he assured the South no end to slavery, the Civil War was initiated at the Battle of Fort Sumpter. Lincoln and his staff maintained that the purpose of the war was to save the Union. This reasoning was given to retain the support of the border slave states and prevent Democrats from being alienated. However, pressures of the war prompted Lincoln to change his mind. Many Republicans pressured Lincoln to free the slaves as they no longer had an obligation to respect the Southern peculiar institution. They also pointed out slavery was what caused the war and would have a foreign policy advantage: repelling Britain from recognizing the Confederacy’s sovereignty. Also during this time, the Union was growing weary in response to a number of military failures and the enlistments were down; freeing that slaves would mean the Union recruit free blacks into its armed forces. Finally, it freed millions of innocent blacks from their shackles, which represented the American ideal of opportunity and equality. Despite all the pressure, Lincoln resisted. However developed a compromise: a gradual emancipation plan and colonization program. It was aimed at keeping Britain neutral, freeing the slaves, weakening the
At the time, the South depended on slavery to support their way of life. In fact, “to protect slavery the Confederate States of America would challenge the peaceful, lawful, orderly means of changing governments in the United States, even by resorting to war.” (635) Lincoln believed that slavery was morally wrong and realized that slavery was bitterly dividing the country. Not only was slavery dividing the nation, but slavery was also endangering the Union, hurting both black and white people and threatening the processes of government. At first, Lincoln’s goal was to save the Union in which “he would free none, some, or all the slaves to save that Union.” (634) However, Lincoln realized that “freeing the slaves and saving the Union were linked as one goal, not two optional goals.” (634) Therefore, Lincoln’s primary goal was to save the Union and in order to save the Union, Lincoln had to free the slaves. However, Paludan states that, “slave states understood this; that is why the seceded and why the Union needed saving.” (634) Lincoln’s presidential victory was the final sign to many Southerners that their position in the Union was
Lincoln became president in January of 1860. During this time, many of the Southern states began to secede, plunging the United States into a Civil War. At the beginning, the war was about state’s rights, but it eventually became about slave rights. In the end, the Union won, America was reunited, and the slaves were freed. Many say that Lincoln was the Great Emancipator because of this act, but did you know he didn’t want the freed slaves to have the same rights as whites? From the time he was involved in the political realm to the day he was assassinated Lincoln was just another politician. If he was really the Great Emancipator he would have been more focused on the slaves than the Union. He also wouldn’t have issued the Emancipation
Lincoln above all solely wanted to save the Union. It was his philosophy that he did not want to rid the country of or promote the institution of slavery, but to prevent the introduction of slavery into new territories and the preserving of the Union. Lincoln, very evidently, stood neutral on the issue of slavery, saying he wouldn't agree with both 1) men who wouldn't save the Union unless they could save slavery at the same time and 2) men who wouldn't save the Union unless they could destroy slavery also (276). This most likely proved to be a huge factor in the war because Lincoln was not choosing sides, but he was more being the mediator. Lincoln...
The scope of the investigation is limited to the Second Great Awakening and the American Abolitionist Movement from 1830-1839, with the exception of some foundational knowledge of the movement prior to 1830 to highlight the changes within the movement in the 1830s. The investigation included an exploration of various letters, lectures, and sermons by leading abolitionists from the time period and a variety of secondary sources analyzing the Second Great Awakening and the Abolitionist Movement from 1830-1839.
During the Abraham Lincoln’s short time as president, he managed not only to save a nation deeply divided and at war with itself, but to solidify the United States of America as a nation dedicated to the progress of civil rights. Years after his death, he was awarded the title of ‘The Great Emancipator.’ In this paper, I will examine many different aspects of Lincoln’s presidency in order to come to a conclusion: whether this title bestowed unto Lincoln was deserved, or not. In order to fully understand Lincoln, it is necessary to understand the motives that drove this man to action. While some of his intentions may not have been for the welfare of slaves, but for the preservation of the Union, the actions still stand. Abraham Lincoln, though motivated by his devotion to his nation, made the first blows against the institution of slavery and rightfully earned his title of ‘The Great Emancipator.’
The differing ideologies between the North and South about the economy and slavery quickly lead to civil war. It was now the duty of Lincoln to maintain the unity of the nation. Therefore, Lincoln is not the “Great Emancipator” because his primary goals throughout his presidency was always to maintain the unity of the nation and not achieve the emancipation of slaves. First of all, by looking at Lincoln’s road to the white house, one can see that Abraham Lincoln was a man undecided on the issue of slavery.
During and after this war, new and traditional techniques and technological advances were used during this war. The Civil War was a war mainly to preserve the union. President Lincoln himself has said [1]" My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it.” He used slavery to gain supporters to win the war.
Also known as the Second Great Awakening, the Abolitionist Movement swept through the colonies in the early 1830’s. This was a movement to abolish slavery and to give blacks their freedom as citizens. Many men and women, free and enslaved, fought for this cause and many were imprisoned or even killed for speaking out. If it were not for these brave people, slavery would still exist today. The Abolitionist Movement paved the way in eradicating slavery by pursuing moral and political avenues, providing the foundation for the Underground Railroad, and creating a voice for African Americans.
Lincoln 's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, was to up the North 's support so they wouldn 't go to the confederate side. Not only a change in North war, but a change in the slavery, like granting the slaves their freedom so they wouldn 't have any more slave revolts which would cause even more chaos in other words another war. "The Emancipation Proclamation granted freedom to the slaves in the Confederate states if the states did not return to the Union by January 1,1863. In addition, under the proclamation, freedom would only come to the slaves if the Union won the war." Abraham Lincoln president at the time, the northerners also known as the Union, the south also known as the confederates, and slave states still in
On March 4, 1891 Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office “I do solemnly (or affirm) swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” After reciting these words Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States facing a country that was in crisis and the Civil War was about to begin. He took his duty to preserve, protect, and defend seriously and on April 27th Lincoln issued the order to suspend the Writ of Habeas Corpus to General Winfield Scott. During wartime conditions, President Lincoln felt
Contrary to what today’s society believes about Lincoln, he was not a popular man with the South at this period in time. The South wanted to expand towards the West but Lincoln created a geographical containment rule keeping slavery in the states it currently resided in. Despite his trying to rationalize with the South, Lincoln actually believed something different ”Lincoln claimed that he, like the Founding Fathers, saw slavery in the Old South as regrettable reality whose expansion could and should be arrested, thereby putting it on the long and gradual road ”ultimate extinction” (216). He believed it to be “evil” thus “implying that free southerners were evil for defending it”(275). Lincoln wanted to wipe out slavery for good and the South could sense his secret motives. By trying to trick them, the South rebelled as soon as Lincoln became president and launched what is today known as the Civil war.
The title “Great Emancipator” has been the subject of many controversies. Some people have argued that the slaves themselves are the central story in the achievement of their own freedom. Others demonstrate that emancipation could result from both a slave’s own extraordinary heroism and the liberating actions of the Union forces. However, my stance is to agree that Abraham Lincoln deserves as “The Great Emancipator” for his actions during and following the Civil War. His personal beliefs had always been opposed to slavery. He believed that the Founding Fathers had put slavery on the road to extinction, and he wanted to continue it down that path. Lincoln acted very professional;
Lincoln had no plans for war, and his reinforcement of Fort Sumter was to affirm its status as a federal fort, not to force the Confederacy into starting a war. Both sides had an aim: whether it was to gain complete independence or pull back the secessionist states into the Union, neither was willing to back down, and the responsibility for the war rests on both sides.
The drive to end slavery in the United States was a long one, from being debated in the writing of the Declaration of Independence, to exposure of its ills in literature, from rebellions of slaves, to the efforts of people like Harriet Tubman to transport escaping slaves along the Underground Railroad. Abolitionists had urged President Abraham Lincoln to free the slaves in the Confederate states from the very outset of the Civil War. By mid-1862, Lincoln had become increasingly convinced of the moral imperative to end slavery, but he hesitated (History.com). As commander-in-chief of the Union Army, he had military objectives to consider (History.com). On one hand, emancipation might
The United States rests upon a foundation of freedom, where its citizens can enjoy many civil liberties as the result of decades of colonial struggles. However, African Americans did not achieve freedom concurrently with whites, revealing a contradiction within the “nation of liberty”. It has been stated that "For whites, freedom, no matter how defined, was a given, a birthright to be defended. For African Americans, it was an open-ended process, a transformation of every aspect of their lives and of the society and culture that had sustained slavery in the first place." African Americans gained freedom through the changing economic nature of slavery and historical events like the Haitian Revolution policies, whereas whites received freedom