From these documents, would you say that Lincoln was prepared to fight the Civil War when the southern states seceded to create the Confederacy, or did he seem hesitant and indecisive? Use sources together from Chapter 3, “From Secession to War”: p. 58 to middle of p. 59 + p. 62 to middle of p. 70 (including First Inaugural Address) + bottom of p. 85 to end of p. 93 (Annual Address) [24 pages] On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as president in the United State. But, the United States had been divided in the 1850s, due to the question about expansion of slavery and the rights of the slave owner. The issue of slavery had heated the nation to the boiling point. Fourth Months later, after Abraham presidential election, the seven states in the deep southern part of the United States, like South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia. Louisiana, and Texas, had seceded and seized many federal facilities. Although President Lincoln is the president of the United State, he still had no official powers to do anything about the Southern forming a new nation. On April 15, Lincoln called 75,000 volunteers to put down the Southern rebellion, and to reverse the seven states to vote in favor of session. After the nation drifted toward conclusion, Abraham Lincoln traveled all over the North, so he can make campaign speeches for the Republicans party. Abram Lincoln used his influence, as the leader of the Republican Party, by reaching out to the political leader of the Republican party, writing privately letters, demanded that the Republican party needs to hold firm to its opposition to the extension of slavery and to also reassure the southern that the Republicans composed no threats. When Civil War begins, Abr... ... middle of paper ... ...ll the Republican political leaders, two third of the majorities of the house and the senate approved and sent the senates to approved the thirteenth amendment abolishing slavery. President Abraham Lincoln used his influences republican party leaders, and his campaign speech that he spoken from Springfield to Washington to persuasive and changed the South state’s mind. Lincoln wanted to end the civil neutral by stating that he was willing to conciliate the slaves’ states in the South, but that there will be no compromise that was acceptable of the expansion territory of the slavery. Citation Textbook: Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty: An American History (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008), 326. Textbook: Micheal P. Jhonson Abraham Linclon, Slavery, and the Civil war, Selected Writing and Speeches ( New York. University of Pennsylvania , 2001) Textbook:
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Show MoreOn the question as to whether states’ rights was the cause of the Civil War, Dew references a speech made by Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, during his inaugural address as one that “remains a classic articulation of the Southern position that resistance to Northern tyranny and a defense of states’ rights were the sole reason for secession. Constitutional differences alone lay at the heart of the sectional controversy, he insisted. ‘Our present condition…illustrates the American idea that governments rest upon the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish governments whenever they become destructive of the ends for which they were established’”(13).
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
Foner, Eric. Give me liberty!: an American history. Seagull fourth ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2014. Print.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. Fourth ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 247-316. Print.
Foner, E. (2012). Give me Liberty! An American History (Seagull 3rd ed.). New York: W.W.Norton & Company, Inc.
In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected as president of the United States of America, the repercussions of which led to civil war. However it was not only Lincoln’s election that led to civil war but also the slavery debate between the northern and southern states and the state of the economy in the United States. Together with the election of Lincoln these caused a split, both politically and ideologically, between the North and South states which manifested into what is now refereed to as the American Civil War.
It wasn’t until the year of 1865, when the 13th Amendment was signed that slavery was abolished (Klingaman, 2001). Out of everything that President Lincoln did in office, he considered the Emancipation Proclamation to be his highest achievement as president (Klingaman, 2001).
He argued for the passage of a constitutional amendment outlawing slavery, which eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after his death in 1865.
He had just beaten out George B. McClellan for president. McClellan wanted the country split into two- one slave-holding and one free. However, the country had chosen Lincoln, they wanted the country to stay together. People wanted too much of Lincoln. He would have enemies no matter what choice he made. So now, instead of staying passive like he did in his first Inaugural Address, he took a stand in his second. He told the country that God sent the slaves to them early in this country, but now He wanted them gone. The war was a punishment from God for all slaveholders. Lincoln made this a rallying cry for all northerners, telling them that they would fight “until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword.” This war would be bloody, but if they could only keep fighting a little more, there would be success at the
The future of the United States was decided in this war. Abraham Lincoln knew that for any further issues regarding slavery would only hurt the US so he realized that the decision would have to be either slavery or no slavery. He knew that the future would Congress and House should not have to decide laws that govern slavery. He knew that if the Confederacy lost the war, they would need to join the US again because their country would not stand. He was aware that the Union could act upon this without low opposition because he did not have Southern protesting. He was always planning to end slavery because he was a Republican and he did not believe that the continuation of slavery would help the country. He was saving the country from future conflicts on a major scale that would be strong enough to separate the nation into two countries
Later on, after President Lincoln abolished slavery(the thirteen amendment in the constitution) the southern states decided to nullify his decision but the went against the constitution. Nullification is illegal. This action cause the bloodiest civil war in America. President Lincoln notice that the US government was not following what they were preaching. After the win in the civil war, the federal government had established themselves with a lot of power.
Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860, Southern states began progress from the Union. Though personally against slavery and convinced the United States couldn’t be both, but was going to have to be all free or all slave states. Repeatedly he said he would not interfere with slavery where it already exists. But he was against in its expansion into territories where it did not exist; and slave owners were determined that they had to be free to take their human property with them if they chose to his move into those
“Important from Montgomery; Inauguration of Jefferson Davis as President of the Southern Confederacy. His Inaugural Address. Policy of the New Government Foreshadowed,” New York Times, February 19, 1861.
Foner, E. (2013). Give me liberty! an american history. (Seagull 4th ed., Vol. 2, p. 708).
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!. an American History. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton and company, 2011. 285-288, 398-401. Print.