When the United States was founded, it was founded on a very famous principle, that "all men are created equal." Lincoln realized this and stated that this nation was "dedicated to the proposition that all men were created equal." Our nation founded itself on this simple thought because its people were tired of the tyranny and oppression caused by rule under Great Britain. The early Americans wanted many things, from their own laws to religious freedoms, but most of all they wanted to be considered equals in the eyes of man. These are only a few of the reasons the Revolutionary War was fought with Great Britain. After the war was over the American people knew what it felt like to finally be free.

The many constitutional issues raised during the Civil War brought a lot of attention to Abraham Lincoln and his alleged abuse of presidential power and blatant disregard for the Constitution. These charges were proven by the numerous times Lincoln went against what the constitution stated to suit his own agenda.

I will now focus on one of the major constitutional issues that Abraham Lincoln faced during the Civil War. One of the most important issues, was the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. On this topic, the Constitution states that the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, except in cases of rebellion or invasion, and congress must approve the suspension. Even though the constitution permits suspension of this protection in times of civil unrest, it fails to specify whether the president may act unilaterally in ordering suspensions (Fletcher,37).

Lincoln argued that he was justified in violating the constitutional prescription because it appealed to the necessity of the moment. But, there was no evidence that the country's circumstances was anywhere near as bad a perceived by Lincoln to call for his actions (Fletcher,38). Many believe that Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus on his own initiative. He even went against the Supremecourt in ruling against the suspension, showing the difference in Constitutional thinking and interpretation.

Also, during the time of the Civil War, many controversial Constitutional issues arose. Abraham Lincoln had strong views and radical interpretations of the Constitution. According to Our Secret Constitution, How Lincoln Redefined American Democracy, by George Fletcher, Lincoln created a "Secret Constitution" in addition to the one created in 1786 by the founding fathers, through his actions.

Lincoln increased the size of the army without congressional authorization, when the Constitution states that only Congress has the power to raise and support armies. He withdrew $2,000,000 for military purposes without authorization, when the Constitution states that no money can be taken from the treasury

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Approximate Word count = 1407
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)