Abraham

Lincoln
 Abraham Lincoln
• February 12th, 1809 – April 15th, 1865
• 16th President of the United States
• In office as President from March 4th, 1861 till his
assassination on April 15th, 1865
• Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War
• In doing so, President Lincoln:
– Preserved the Union
– Abolished Slavery
– Strengthened the Federal Government
– Modernized the economy
 Abraham Lincoln
• Lincoln was largely self educated
• Lincoln became a Lawyer in Illinois
• Lincoln was a Whig Party leader and a
Member of the Illinois HoR in which he
served for 8 Years
• Lincoln was elected to the United States
House of Representatives in 1846
• He promoted rapid modernization of the
economy through banks, tariffs, and railroads
 Abraham Lincoln
• Lincoln was opposed to the Mexican-American
War 1846
• Left Politics and practiced Law during his hiatus
• Reentered Politics in 1854
• Became a leader in building the new Republican
Party
• In 1858, Lincoln held debates with his opponent
and rival, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas
• Lincoln spoke out against the expansion of
Slavery, but lost the US Senate race to Douglas
 Abraham Lincoln
• Lincoln swept the North and was elected President in
1860
• Victory prompted 7 Southern Slave States to form the
Confederacy
• Lincoln handled his opponents by pitting them against
each other & carefully planned political patronage
• Averted potential British intervention in the War by
defusing the Trent Affair in late 1861
• Lincoln closely supervised the Civil War effort,
especially the selection of top Generals, including his
most successful General, Ulysses S. Grant
 Abraham Lincoln
• Lincoln tried repeatedly to capture Richmond,
the capital of the Confederacy
• Each time a General failed, Lincoln substituted
another, until finally General Grant succeeded
• Anticipating the War’s conclusion, Lincoln
pushed a moderate view of Reconstruction
instead of revenge
• Lincoln sought to reunite the nation speedily
through a policy of generous reconciliation in the
face of lingering and bitter divisiveness
 Abraham Lincoln
• On April 15th, 1865, 6 days after the April 9th
surrender of Confederate commanding
General Robert E. Lee, Lincoln was
assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a
Confederate sympathizer
• Lincoln has been consistently ranked as one
of the top 3 Presidents of US History
alongside George Washington & Franklin D.
Roosevelt
 Abraham Lincoln – Significance of
Presidency
• Significance of Lincoln’s Presidency:
1. Abolition of Slavery:
• Not an Abolitionist
• Wanted to contain Slavery to its old territories
• Thought that once contained, it would eventually die
out
• Lincoln wanted Slavery to end gradually
• Announced at the outbreak of War that he had no
purpose to interfere in the institution of Slavery so
that the Border States don’t get irked and leave the
Union
 Abraham Lincoln – Significance of
Presidency
• Significance of Lincoln’s Presidency:
1. Abolition of Slavery:
• When Northerners demanded abolition of Slavery,
Lincoln held that his objective was to:
– “Save the Union, not to save or destroy Slavery”
• As War progressed, so did his thinking
• Proclaimed Emancipation on September 22nd, 1862
that on January 1st, 1863, Slavery would end
 Abraham Lincoln – Significance of
Presidency
• Significance of Lincoln’s Presidency:
2. Preservation of Union:
• Did not want to see his Country divided
• Saw Principles of Democracy & self government at
stake
• Delivered his historic Gettysburg Address at the
venue of Civil War battle in November 19th, 1863
• Lincoln believed in the right & ability of people to
freely govern themselves
 Abraham Lincoln – Significance of
Presidency
• Significance of Lincoln’s Presidency:
3. Usage of Presidential Powers:
• Lincoln often bypassed Congress & Courts because of the
War
• Performed many functions reserved with the Congress or
the Courts
• During the War, Lincoln gathered War Volunteers,
expanded the Army & spent money unauthorized by
Congress
• Lincoln also used Military Courts to try Civilians
• Severely criticized by Scholars for trespassing his authority
 Abraham Lincoln – Significance of
Presidency
• Significance of Lincoln’s Presidency:
4. Foreign Affairs:
• Lincoln was a shrewd Diplomat
• He sent Representatives to generate positive public
opinion for the War against Slavery
• Dealt successfully with the Trent Affair
• Held the public anger in check when Britain was
helping the Confederacy
• France & Britain were held to be neutral
• Made Britain pay compensation for the destruction
caused by the ‘Alabama’
 Abraham Lincoln – Significance of
Presidency
• Significance of Lincoln’s Presidency:
5. Cabinet Matters:
• Lincoln was a man of unbound quality of selflessness
• Chose Cabinet Members who were his rivals
• Was unmindful of personal differences in the
interests of the Nation
• Found out Grant in the Military affairs after the
process of trial & error
• Gave his Ministers and Generals a free hand to run
their affairs and put abundant resources at their
disposal
 Abraham Lincoln – Significance of
Presidency
• Significance of Lincoln’s Presidency:
6. Attitude towards South:
• Never showed any signs of hatred towards South
• Ordered his Generals to offer liberal terms to the defeated
Armies
• Prepared smooth reentry into the Union for the
Confederates
• Had he lived, he would have carried out successful
reconstruction in the South
• Lincoln would have worked to drastically reduced the
bitterness between North & South
• Abolished Slavery & preserved the Union