Abraham Lincoln was born in a simple log cabin in Kentucky on 12th February 1809. He became the sixteenth president of United States and led the country from its devastating crises, the Civil War. He was a lawyer, member of the United State House of Representatives and an unsuccessful candidate for the election of senate before becoming the president. In his early life, his father Thomas Lincoln was a respected citizen and purchased a farm in 1808. In 1816, the Lincoln family forced to move from Kentucky to Perry County Indiana partly due to the difficulties in land deeds in Indiana and he later noted that this move was partly on account of slavery. When he was nine, his mother then thirty four, died of milk sickness. His father remarried to Sarah Bush Johnston. He loved his step mother and for the rest of his life he called her mother but he never had in good terms with his father. In 1830, the family moved to Macon County, Illinois due to the economic and land difficulties in Indiana. At the age of twenty two he struck out of his own and hired by Denton Offutt for whom he took goods from the New Salem to New Orleans via flatboat. The formal education of Lincoln was of only eighteen months but he was self-educated and an avid reader. He was also a talented wrestler and knew working with an axe. His height was about 6ft 4 inches and a strong body. He avoided hunting and fishes because he didn't like to kill animals even for food. In 1832, Lincoln started his political career. Then, main objective of his politics was an improvement in Sangamon River in order to attract stream boat traffic. In 1834, he won election to the state legislature and began learning the law himself and in 1837, he was admitted in the Bar, he moved to Illinois and began his practice as a lawyer. His reputation as a lawyer increased rapidly due to his arguments and cross-examinations in the court. It was then he was first made his protest against the slavery. In 1842, he married to Mary Todd, with her he had four sons but three of them were died in their childhood or in teens. (Wiki 2008)
During the election for the presidency in 1860, the southern states had suggested that if Lincoln was elected as a president they would separate from the Union. They were against Lincoln because he was against the slavery and especially North Carolina took the initiative for separation and six other states join them including Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas and after his inauguration, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina also left the Union. These states know as Confederacy. The Civil war started when these states captured the Fort Sumter in North Carolina in 1861. This was a greatest national crisis for any of the US President. He hated war and killing but he accepted war in order to save the nation and during his inaugural address to the southern states he warned them of the serious consequences. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Accomplishments)
He said that:
"In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you... You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it." (Abraham Lincoln Web Site)
He had a great pressure on him during the Civil War. He carried out the war even the generals were not ready to fight, deaths threats to his cabinet members, huge lose of lives in the battlefield but he remained determined and not lose his heart and kept on fighting until the south was totally defeated, he had resisted a pressure to end the war earlier because he had achieved the goals but he decided against it and snubbed the separation movement totally. (Abraham Lincoln Research site 1996)
During most of the Civil War, Lincoln was forced to act as a Commander in Chief and Chief to the staff of the army because when the civil war started the Union had no structure of the Army at high level. So, he had to do most of the thinking in creating strategies on the battle field despite he had no technical military experience. He had made fair share of mistakes including inability to pick up a right man to head the Army. Also, some were fooled by Lincoln's reputation to grant clemency to soldiers and felt about him that he was too tender hearted to defeat the south. But overall, he done a great job as a commander in Chief. (Abraham Lincoln Research site 1996)
His major accomplishment was the work he done for the abolition of slavery which was renowned as "Emancipation Proclamation" which was presented on 1st January 1863. It didn't free the slaves immediately because it applied to those states which were not under control of Lincoln. The seceded states didn't apply the order of the Government but the real benefit of this theory was that the proclamation showed Americans and the world that the war was being fought to end slavery. This also benefited the Union amoung the Black men who were accepted by the army and navy. The opponents of Lincoln in the war, "Copperhead" criticized him for not compromising on the issues of slavery. By the end of the war almost two hundred thousands soldiers fought for the Union and Freedom. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Accomplishments)
The domestic policies of the President Lincoln included the support for Homestead Act which allowed the poor people from the eastern areas of United States can acquire the property in the western areas. Also he signed the legislation on the National Banking Act in which he established the national currency and brought progressive vision in creating a banking network which was very new thing at that point. The tariff legislation which he had signed, offered the protection to the American industries and signed a bill that provide the first transcontinental rail road and his policy to prevent foreign intervention during the Civil War got a huge appreciation even from his great adversaries. (Abraham Lincoln Research site 1996)
Lincoln most famous speech was at Gettysburg. In that he said that our nation was fighting a civil War to see if we could survive as a nation. He dedicate a proper section of his speech towards the people who lost their lives during Gettysburg battle and said that the people who were still alive must dedicate their lives in achieving the task of these dead people to save their nation. His famous quote which got tremendous appreciation was that "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." (Abraham Lincoln Web Site)
After Union victories at Gettysburg, Vicksburg and Chattanooga in 1863, overall victory seemed at hand, and Lincoln promoted Ulysses S. Grant General-in-Chief in 1864. In the summer the election campaign again started and Lincoln took the side of Grant's stratergy of wearing down enemies on the great expense of the Union Causalities. With the election campaign looming he easily turned away from his side. Due to this the republicans feared that Lincoln would be defeated in the elections, he wrote and signed a pledge that if he lost the election he would nonetheless defeat the Confederacy by an all-out military effort before turning over the White House. He didn't show the pledge to his cabinet but asked them to sign that. With peace wing of the democrats called war a "Failure" but General George McClellan took his side, this bought a tremendous split in the democrats and Lincoln won for the second time in a land slide, capturing 212 out of 233 electoral votes. (Wiki 2008)
On April 1865, when the major enemy was captured, the war was effectively over and soon after that other groups surrender. Lincoln went to the Richmond to make a public gesture and addressed that the President of the United States had a full authority on the land. He was greeted at the city as a hero by the freed slaves. (Wiki 2008)
John Wilkis Booth a well known actor and a spy of the confederate made plan to kidnap in exchange of the confederate prisoners but attending the Lincoln speech he changed his plan and decided to kill the Lincoln. On 14th April 1865, Lincoln went to the theatre to watch the play "Our American Cousin" and he sat in the state box, Booth crept up behind the President and waited for the funniest line of the play, hoping the laughter would muffle the noise of the gunshot. When the laughter began, Booth jumped into the box and aimed a single-shot from which Lincoln died. His death was a huge shock for the entire country. His assassination in 1865 was the first presidential assassination in U.S. history and made him a martyr for the ideal of national unity. (Wiki 2008)
His presidency can be looked back as a role model for future generations. That's why people use to compare present day politician to the Lincoln and these politicians used lot of quotes of him because Lincoln was considered as the wisest president of United States. Lincoln had a great leadership style as he was authoritarian and democratic. When there was any difference in opinion between him and his advisors, he often told his story which demonstrated his point. Most of the time this method worked and the people working with him admired from his personality. He could virtually disarm his enemies with his highly moralistic, skillful leadership. Lincoln possessed qualities of kindness and compassion combined with wisdom. One of his nicknames was "Father Abraham". He is remembered for his important role in preserving the Union during the Civil War and started the process that led to the end of slavery. He is also remembered for his wonderful leadership in which he showed tremendous character, his letters and speeches were well crafted and as a man, his humbleness, determination and perseverance led him to the highest seat at the Office. To sum up, the most important action of the Lincoln was to fight against the separatist in order to keep the Union. Due to this it prevents the Union to split in to two countries. Secondly his effort to free the slaves was also very important. He got the ball rolling with the Emancipation Proclamation. We honor Abraham Lincoln for his actions in preserving the Union and beginning the process of freedom for slaves. (Abraham Lincoln Research site 1996)
Work Cited
"The Accomplishments of President Abraham Lincoln." Abraham Lincoln Research Site. 29-12-1996. 14 May 2008 <http://home.att.net/%7Erjnorton/Lincoln87.html>.
"Abraham Lincoln." 2008. Wikipedia. 14 May 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln>.
"Abraham Lincoln Presidential Accumplishments." 14 May 2008 <http://www.nps.gov/history/logcabin/html/al3.html>.
"Abraham Lincoln." 1996-2006. Virtualology.com. 14 May 2008 <http://www.abraham-lincoln.org/>
"Abraham Lincoln." The White House. 14 May 2008 <http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/al16.html>.
