Abraham Lincoln , 16th President (1861-1865)

Lincoln's assassination 4/14/1865

- John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln in a theater - attempted to shoot Ulysses S. Grant as well - conspiracy that the assassination was an effort to rally the remaining confederate troops to keep fighting

prominent members of lincoln's cabinet

- Salman P Chase: Treasury of Secretary - Gideon Welles: Secretary of Navy - Simon Cameron 1861, Edwin Stanton 1862: Secretary of State

Lincoln's second inaugural

- beginning of reconstruction era/post civil war - meant to heal and restore the dragged out 4 year long civil war - speech addresses rebuilding the nation

Gettysburg Address (1863)

- encouraged north to continue fighting - wanted to reunite union - delivered by Lincoln at a national cemetery - changed purpose of the war (abolish slavery and reunite the union)

Expansion of Executive Power

- suspended habeus corpus - arrested people without the right to trial - enrollment act

Lincoln Proclomation and Amnesty 10% Plan

-A southern state can be readmitted into the union once 10% of its voters swore an oath of allegiance to the union - declares that all opposition to the union would be pardoned - radical republicans wanted the confederate states to have a harsher punishment

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Declared all slaves in rebelling states to be free but did not affect slavery in non-rebelling Border States. The Proclamation closed the door on possible compromise with the South and encouraged thousands of Southern slaves to flee to Union lines.

Homestead Act of 1862

Encouraged westward settlement by allowing heads of families to buy 160 acres of land for a small fee ($10-30); settlers were required to develop and remain on the land for five years. Over 400,000 families got land through this law.

Morrill Act of 1862

Funded public colleges focused on agriculture and mechanical arts

National Banking Act

Launched to stimulate the sale of government bonds and establish a standard banknote currency ("greenbacks") during the Civil War.

Election of 1864: candidates, parties

Lincoln ran against Democrat General McClellan. Lincoln won 212 electoral votes to 21, but the popular vote was much closer. (Lincoln had fired McClellan from his position in the war.)

Ex Parte Merryman (1861)

Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the war was ruled unconstitutional

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting the west and east coasts of the continental US

Election of 1860: candidates, parties, issues

Republican - Abraham Lincoln. Democrat - Stephan A. Douglas, John C. Breckenridge. Constitutional Union - John Bell. Issues were slavery in the territories (Lincoln opposed adding any new slave states).

13th Ammendment (1865)

prohibiting all forms of slavery and involuntary servitude. Former confed states required to ratify the amendment prior to gaining reentry into union.

1st Inagural Address

states that there will be no conflict unless the south provoked it ; south can't have slaves