Abraham Lincoln's Impact On Society

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” This quote is from one of the most famous speeches in America, the Gettysburg Address. It was made and presented by the one and only 16th president of The U.S.A, Abraham Lincoln. Due to his charisma, skilled rhetoric and power in office to gain momentum towards furthering equality, Abraham Lincoln was able to impact the people of the U.S, nation-wide. Even though this was a big step forward equality in america it is not that talked about. Many people think of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks or Nelson Mandela when it comes to popular equal rights leaders, but Abraham
Lincoln should also be more known too since he was one of the first to be one. Abraham gained his following and experience, then his charisma and resourcefulness helped change the country and he continued to impact and mold the U.S even after his death.

First, he was born 1809 kentucky, but moved to Indiana at a young age and later on his life illinois. He was so interested to learn more, Abraham would go around helping neighbours read and write for them to gain more knowledge. Then in 1832, Abraham enlisted in the blackhawk war. Abraham quickly got promoted to captain and became popular. As many stories go even though he had no previous experience in the military, he was apparently good at uplifting and inspiring people, as well as just a good leader overall. After that war Abraham went to law school and became a lawyer. This helped him in the 1840s to have a seat at the Illinois state legislature and later on, apart of the new republican party. Now that Abraham was really part of the government, he also started becoming a part of debates. With his experience with wanting to help people, giving speeches as a lawyer and a captain in the war it was clear that Abraham had this type of charisma where he could impact and change the people around him because he quickly gained support from the north in debates about getting rid of slavery but he angered southern states.

Now that he gained the following and experience, Abraham decided to run for president.
He did not get elected on his first try but on his second attempt at elections he won even without the support of the southern states. By the the time he got inaugurated as president the southern states already left the union and formed the confederacy to try and stop Abraham from doing something about slavery. The civil war then officially started April 12, 1861, when the confederacy attacked the union controlled fort Sumter in South Carolina. From his experience in the blackhawk war and now as Commander-in-Chief, the highest position in the U.S army, Abraham used his privileges as much as he could during the war, promoting and demoting officers, testing weapons, rearranging battle strategies, etc. After two long years of war, he finally issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st 1863 but it states that only slaves were free in the confederate states. Along with the Emancipation proclamation there was also a Compensated Emancipation which let slave masters get paid to free their slaves. The war still continued since the Emancipation Proclamation was not official yet and slave masters were hiding their slaves. Within the next 2 years Abraham became more and more popular for his speeches as time went on, some of his most well-known and impactful speeches are the Gettysburg address (which was about the base and ideals of America) and the Last public address (which was about the future of America after the war had finished). These speeches really inspired people and help them persevere through the war. Abraham’s resourcefulness as president really impacted the people and how the war played out. The war ended in april 1865 and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln came soon
after.

After his death Abraham still continued to change the country. The Emancipation Proclamation was only enforced on the southern states during the war. But by the end of the year 1865 it became official for all states that slavery was illegal. With 4 million slaves being free and becoming regular american citizens laws were made or changed for equality. In 1866, with the help of the latest additions to the constitution and the civil rights act of 1866, everyone now had the rights to vote, actively participate in the political process, acquire the land from someone who is selling, seek their own employment, use public accommodations and more. The confederacy was offered to return to the Union so the country can be reunited again but the southern states were still under military watch for the next few months. It took about 12 more years to recover what the U.S lost during the war.

With his personality, speaking ability and his leadership to gain momentum to having more equality, Abraham Lincoln was able to change the U.S. After getting the support and experience before becoming president, using his tools at hand and his own character during the war, he not only made a difference alive but even after his death he affected U.S citizens nationwide for the better. "’A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.”