Abraham Lincoln's Greatest Accomplishments

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When asked about Abraham Lincoln’s greatest accomplishment in the Civil War, most people would probably say “freeing the slaves”. While it is true, President Lincoln did have a lot to do with the emancipation of over millions of slaves, that is not necessarily his “greatest accomplishment”. Over the course of many years, President Abraham Lincoln made several significant contributions to the American Civil War. The Civil War officially began on April 12th, 1861, when Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard shot at the Union Troops currently occupying Fort Sumter. While this specific event may have marked the beginning of actual warfare, it was not the only event to spark the beginning of the Civil War in general. One of the most well-known causes of the Civil War is the conflict over slavery. The Southern states were very dependent on agriculture and the slave labor that was required to maintain healthy crops. On the other hand, the Northern states were more focused on factories and industrial work, and did not want slavery to expand as the country grew. As if this disagreement didn't cause enough tension, Southern states were seceding from the Union because they felt that the government (which at the time was run mostly by people from the North) was gaining too much power, and soon would have complete control over the Southern states. Starting with South Carolina, a total of eleven states seceded from the Union during this time period. The third cause of the Civil War was the taxes that were placed on many parts of the South. Taxes such as those placed on European goods imported to the South proved to be quite a burden for the people that lived down there, and this only further encouraged them to separate themselves from the Unio... ... middle of paper ... ...he unification of this country and commitment to finding “lasting peace” with “malice for none” and “charity for all” (“Abraham Lincoln”, par 11) is perhaps the reason the United States of America is the way that it is today. Works Cited • “Abraham Lincoln”. Civil War Trust. www.civilwar.org. Web. Accessed 23 Feb, 2014 • “Civil War Facts”. History Net. www.historynet.com/civil-war-facts Weider History Group. Web. Published 2013. Accessed 22 March, 2014. • “Thirteenth Amendment”. History. www.history.com/topics/black-history/thirteent-amendment Web. Published 2014. Accessed 22 March, 2014. • “10 Facts About the Emancipation Proclamation”. Civil War Trust. www.civilwar.org. Web. Accessed 23 Feb, 2014 • “10 Facts: Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address” Legacy . www.legacy.com. Published 19 Nov, 2013. Web. Accessed 23 Feb, 2014.

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