History 101 Term Paper

The Life and Assassination Of Abraham Lincoln: How it affected the Nation

Hist101- American History to 1877

Abraham Lincoln was a brilliant politician and leader. He made numerous contributions to the nation and had plans for many more had he not been assassinated. His death was a low point in our country’s history and had it not occurred our Nation would have been better. According to Biography.com, “Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of America's greatest heroes due to both his incredible impact on the nation and his unique appeal. His is a remarkable story of the rise from humble beginnings to achieve the highest office in the land; then, a sudden and tragic death at a time when his country needed him most to complete the great task remaining before the nation”. Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States and was originally elected in 1861. He made great strides for our country and made a real difference especially for the slave population. Almost immediately after he was elected president he had a very big issue that confronted him. By the time of his inauguration seven southern states had seceded from the union and the Civil war started soon thereafter on April 12th, 1861. President Lincoln was a strong leader during the Civil war and his actions quite possibly won the war for the union. “Abraham Lincoln responded to the crisis wielding powers as no other present before him. He distributed $2,000,000 from the Treasury for war materiel without an appropriation from Congress; he called for 75,000 volunteers into military service without a declaration of war; and he suspended the writ of habeas corpus, arresting and imprisoning suspected Confederate sympathizers without a warrant.” Sheppardsoftware.com claims that one of President Lincoln’s best decisions made during the civil war occurred in September 1862 when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This prohibited slavery in the Southern states that were participating in the conflict. This was a smart decision and it greatly influenced the war by limiting the confederate’s manpower as well as getting support from the now freed slaves. As the civil war continued President Lincoln knew that he had to start coming up with a post war plan to rebuild the country and he did not want there to be any hard feeling or undue punishment for the south. He accomplished this with the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. “The proclamation addressed three main areas of concern. First, it allowed for a full pardon for and restoration of property to all engaged in the rebellion with the exception of the highest Confederate officials and military leaders. Second, it allowed for a new state government to be formed when 10 percent of the eligible voters had taken an oath of allegiance to the United States. Third, the Southern states admitted in this fashion were encouraged to enact plans to deal with the freed slaves so long as their freedom was not compromised.” On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer, fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln at a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. This action had a substantial impact on the US. The Civil war had just ended and President Lincoln was focused on reuniting the union. He had plans to bring the southern states back into the union without prejudice. With the death of President Lincoln it left Andrew Johnson as President. He was said to be weak and less educated and equipped to deal with the issues. He also did not have a good relationship with congress and in the end he was impeached but not before doing damage to the union. Congress did not like having President Johnson in office and went over his head to pass many laws as well as stopping him from passing laws that affected the black populace. Between 1866 and 1877 Congress was able to pass two civil rights acts and add the 14th and 15th amendments to the US Constitution, which greatly influenced the black people and upset some southerners. There was a period of time between the two civil rights acts where many blacks were lynched by whites. In conclusion President Lincoln made many contribution to the US and in my opinion he would have made many more if he were not assassinated. I also believe the deaths after the civil war would be less if he were alive because he had a way of keeping the peace between the two groups and he was intent on bringing the union together without punishment or prejudice.

Bibliography
1-3 http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540 Page 1-4 .
4.http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/History/presidents/Presidents_16_Lincoln.htm

5 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-issues-proclamation-of-amnesty-and-reconstruction

6 http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/lesson_36_notes.htm

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[ 1 ]. 1. http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540
[ 2 ]. 2. http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540?page=4
[ 3 ]. http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540?page=4
[ 4 ]. .http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/History/presidents/Presidents_16_Lincoln.htm
[ 5 ]. 5. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-issues-proclamation-of-amnesty-and-reconstruction
[ 6 ]. http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/lesson_36_notes.htm