Role of Abraham Lincoln in Civil War
As President of the United States Abraham Lincoln not only played a major role during the civil war but also in the events preceding the war and his presidency. Lincoln was running for President in a country united by law but separated by political, social and economic differences. After winning office Abraham Lincoln had to deal with the issue of the Southern states seceding and also the outbreak of civil war. In conducting the civil war Lincoln had to successfully address an array of specific and inter-related issues if Union victory was to be attained. These include; marshalling the American economy to meet the tremendous war needs of several million soldiers, raising a citizen's army of volunteers willing to be trained and to die for the Union, adopting war strategies for the Union Army, handling foreign affairs, dealing with the problem of slavery without destroying the democratic freedoms upon which the nation was founded.As Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, contended for the role of president in a nation engulfed by sectional division, the southern states were threatening to seclude themselves from the Union. The dynamic force at work in the crisis was southern perception of the Republican Party, not merely as a political
Even though his main priority was to save the Union, he had to put fourth something to calm the northern anti-slavery forces. Lincoln used his constitutional powers to issue the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves in the rebellious states. He did not issue it on the border states, which were still part of the Union but had slaves. He did this to keep the border states from succeeding from the Union. The border states were very important assets to the success of winning the war due to their location and population. There can be no question but that Lincoln hated slavery, that he believed that it mocked and contradicted the Declaration of Independence, and that it was the one issue that threatened the survival of the Union. In the letter response to Horace Greeley, Lincoln stated that he did not agree with those who would not save the Union unless they could save slavery at the same time. "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; and if I could do it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that." Opposition to Lincoln's program and policies by Peace Democrats escalated into full-fledged counter-war measures by 1862. Most of these opponents were old-line Democrats who resented the centralising laws and measures supported by the Republican, who now had a majority in Congress, due to the loss of many Democrats to the Confederation. When the war began, Lincoln decreed by executive order that all people who discouraged enlistment in the army or otherwise engaged in disloyal practices would be subject to martial law. President Lincoln action suspended the writ of habeas corpus, which prevents the government from holding citizens without trial. This was done outside of the Constitution but again Lincoln saw it as necessary to the saving of the Union.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1334
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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