Abraham Lincoln’s presidency impacted America in various ways, some for the best and others, for worse. Before his presidency, Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer and a state representative. Lincoln wanted to take a higher position in politics so he ran to become a senator in Illinois. Lincoln came in strong and truthful, stating that he was antislavery which wasn’t well liked in the south. His opponent, Douglas, opted for popular sovereignty. Unfortunately for Lincoln, he didn’t win. However Lincoln did benefit a lot from running for senator. Since Lincoln took the chance of running for senator in Illinois it made him know nationwide because of his beliefs which made him the face of moral antislavery. Lincoln believed that slavery is wrong and it shouldn’t be any more however, he wasn’t an extremist or and abolitionist. Lincoln ended up taking his “fame” and running for president of the United States. Many citizens of the United States did not want Lincoln to become president, majority of those people being in the south. Lincoln’s beliefs were not well liked within the southern states. However Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 making him the 16th president of the United States. But with becoming president, Lincoln had to try to keep the United States as one …show more content…
At Fort Sumter in South Carolina on April 12-14, 1861, Confederates opened fire on Union soldiers. Fort Sumter was a focal point of the secession for both the North and the South. Fort Sumter held important symbolism for either side concerning this conflict. This incident is what started the American civil war. After Fort Sumter, the defenses on both side become stronger and Lincoln started to ask people up north to volunteer for the war. While this chaotic scene was going on, the upper southern states also seceded. Those states were: Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, and North
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Show MoreSouth Carolina seceded from the Union on December of 1860, General Robert Anderson and his troops were stationed out at Fort Moultrie. They did not think Fort Moultrie was safe enough so then he had a plan to move his troops to Fort Sumter. The Commander of the Union was Robert Anderson, and the Confederate commander was P.G.T. Beauregard. Anderson had moved his troops from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter. Soon after coming to the fort Anderson realized he only had a couple week’s supply of food left. The confederate soldiers came and surrounded the fort and demanded Anderson had over the fort to them. Anderson was starting to run out of supplies for fighting and food. General Beauregard thought the Union would leave the South Carolina fort but Anderson refused. Beauregard threatened the Union to surrender but they would not, then the firing began. Anderson eventually realized there was no hope for them winning this battle, he then surrender the Southern for...
With all of these opposing forces at play, the United States political interests were bound to come to a clash. In December of 1860, South Carolina became the first official state to secede from the Union; ten states followed in the coming months. And thus the Civil War had begun.
Lincoln led our nation through one of the most important times in our country’s history. The Civil War generated political and social changes that altered the course of the United States of America. While successful in gradually abolishing the institution of slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation failed to eliminate racial discrimination against the African Americans. Despite gaining their independence, the racial habits and policies of the southern states continued to impact the freed slaves’ quality of life. Through the use of intimidation and segregation, even after the abolition of slavery, white southerners stripped black citizens of many of the rights that were granted to them in the American Constitution as well as the Fourteenth
Abraham Lincoln led America through its bloodiest war. His actions changed the nation forever, and his legacy lives on today. Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States. Throughout the Civil War, Lincoln’s political strategies aided the Union victory. Lincoln set the Reconstruction of America into motion, and abolished slavery. In what follows, I will be discussing the life of one of the nation’s greatest presidents. Before his famous political career, Lincoln was a self educated lawyer. In debates across his life, he opposed slavery. During his time in Congress and in the Senate, Lincoln passed many laws, some that locally abolished slavery before the Civil War.
With his abolish to slavery he managed to pass the torch to other civil rights fighters such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and because of him America saw its first black president, Barack Obama. If Lincoln never did abolish slavery in the united states, the world could have been a very different place. It's hard for us to believe now that we once treated blacks as inferior people. Our society is completely different then it was back in Lincoln’s time. Although if Lincoln never did abolish slavery when he did, someone most likely would have done so some time in the future, but racial separation would be that much farther
The Civil War took place from 1861 to 1865. Perhaps the most influential war in American history, the Civil War was fought between the northern states and the southern states of America over slavery. Shortly after Abraham Lincoln was elected as the president on March 4, 1861, South Carolina Seceded from the Union. Other states followed in suit, forming the Confederate States of America with its capital at Montgomery, Alabama, its president Jefferson Davis. As controversy flared higher as a result of this event, the Confederates took Fort Sumter. Soon, the Union joined the war. The northern states were referred to as the Union army, with leaders including Ulysses S. Grant. The Southern states were referred to as the Confederate army, their prominent leaders including Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. It was the start of a war that would shape American history.
In conclusion, Abraham Lincoln was a great man and did many different wonderful things to the world. He had tragedy and happiness in his life, but we would always remember the day that Abraham Lincoln played a huge effect on the outcome of the Civil War and abolishing of slavery.
Lincoln’s assassination damaged the north’s and south’s relationship, increasing the north’s hate toward the south. His death gave the Radical Republicans more freedom to punish the south. And it put Andrew Johnson in charge who also wanted to punish the south and had a very bad relationship with the Congressmen. Without President Lincoln, the process of reconstruction took 12 years. If Lincoln were still alive during that time maybe many of the things that happened wouldn’t have. He could’ve controlled the Radicals, saved the relationships of the north and south, stopped much of the racism and racial groups like the KKK, and President Johnson wouldn’t have been in charge. In conclusion, Lincoln’s untimely death had a massive impact on slowing down reconstruction.
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina made a decision to secede from the United States Union. A few days later, from Charleston, South Carolina over 50 federal troops took off to Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is an island in the Charleston Harbor which was considered part of the Northern United States government. However, southerners from South Carolina thought it belonged to the new Confederacy. Four months later, the earliest Civil War engagement took place on this disputed soil.
“War Begun” The South strikes the First blow! The war began when the Confederates bombarded Union soldiers at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. What led to the outbreak of the bloodiest conflict in the history of North America? A common explanation is that the Civil War was fought over the moral issue of slavery. In fact, the economies of slavery and political control the system that was the central of the conflict.
The American Civil War was fought between the North (The Union) and the South (The Confederates), because of the South wanting to secede from the North. Lincoln's election as president in 1860, triggered southerners' decision to secede believing Lincoln would restrict their rights to own slaves. Lincoln stated that secession was "legally void" and had no intentions of invading the Southern states, but would use force to maintain possession of federal property. Despite his pleas for the restorations of the bonds of union, the South fired upon the federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter, in Charlestown, Virginia. This was the event that decided the eventual beginning of the Civil War. Despite the advantages of Northerners, their victory in the ...
One of Lincoln’s most famous quotes is “A House divided against itself cannot stand.” This describes his presidency well- focusing on maintaining the Union. In the beginning, Lincoln tried to stay out of sensitive affairs involving the North and South in an attempt to keep them together, promising the South little interference. Despite this, he played a key role in passing the Thirteenth Amendment, doing whatever it takes to end slavery for good and ending the Civil War.
The United States has experienced significant transformation under the leadership of different presidents and Abraham Lincoln is one of the most celebrated agents of change in American history. Lincoln became the head of state in November 1860 prior to the civil war. He was the 16th president born in February 1809. His achievements from the first day of his presidency to the day of his assassination have portrayed him as one of the key contributors to the history of the nation. This paper will focus on the main aspects of Lincoln’s leadership to demonstrate how he impacted the history of the nation during and after his tenure as the U.S president. His main
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 Emancipation Proclamation that changed the war into a battle for freedom and declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy. That November, Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address, which stated how a country must be dedicated to human freedom in order to survive. He dedicated the battlefield to the soldiers who had perished, and called on the living to finish the task the dead soldiers had begun. (Donald, 1995) Lincoln believed that democracy could be a lasting form of government. He showed a nobility of character that had worldwide appeal, and he was a man of great integrity. However, Lincoln was not only the 16th president of the United States, he was an American hero. Lincoln was a well-rounded individual and he had numerous outstanding qualities. However, it is important to remember that Lincoln also led a private life, complete with close friends and family.
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...