Abraham Lincoln

Election/ Campaign

-How the President succeeding Buchanan would handle slavery was the deciding factor for presidents. -His chief opponent for the Republican bid was William H. Seward (a powerful former Whig). -Eventually secured nomination and was up against Stephen Douglas (Democrat nominee). Lincoln won after Democrats had divided votes between Douglas and Breckinridge. Election/Campaign of 1864: Overwhelming amount of votes went to Lincoln, but vicious campaigning occurred from activists.

Brief Background

Born dirt-poor in a log cabin in Kentucky in 1809, Lincoln grew up in frontier Kentucky and Indiana. -Held a seat in the Illinois state legislature as a Whig politician in the 1830s and 1840s. -He moved to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1847, where he voiced his opposition to the U.S. war with Mexico. - In the mid-1850s, Lincoln left the Whig Party to join the new Republican Party.

Term

Term:16th President of the United States (1861 -1865)

War

-Causes were southerners seceding and whether slavery would spread. -The first battle was Fort Sumter where Confederates gained victory. -Turning point was Gettysburg. Over 600,000 Deaths and 3 million men participated. -Northerners had Anaconda plan where they would surround Southerners then attack. Southerners had offensive tactics that would result in many casualties. -There was a constant replacement of generals because they did not fit Lincoln's demands. Ulysses S. Grant and Sherman were two generals that gained Lincoln's admiration. -Volunteerism for soldiers declined as war went on. Many hired substitutes and avoided drafts. Economy was sustained through loans, greenbacks, and taxes.

Domestic Affairs

Domestic: Abraham Lincoln was a major reason for southern states seceding. Southerners saw him as trying to abolish slavery everywhere. -The President even supported a thirteenth amendment passed by Congress that would guarantee slavery in the existing slave states. -His inaugural address stated that he would not abolish slavery in existing places, but would deny slavery in new states. -In fear of losing election of 1864, Lincoln Proposed Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction which stated that southerners would be pardoned if they pledged their allegiance to United states of America. -Radical Republicans issued the Wade Davis bill where a majority of a southern state had to take oath and support black slavery in order to be admitted. Either way acceptable. - In 1963, the Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves in the rebellious states were hereafter "forever free." -Homestead Act of 1862 allowed for a family could obtain a grant of 160 acres of public land by paying a small registration fee and living on the land for five years. Basis for western expansion. -Morrill Land Grant of 1862 enacted transferring giant allocations of federal lands to the states to be sold for the support of agricultural and mechanical arts colleges.

Death

John Wilkes Booth Killed Abe Lincoln on April 15th, 1964. Lincoln never saw thirteenth Amendment ratified

Foreign Affairs

No laws were enacted. Just Britain proclaiming neutrality which made Confederates a Belligerent Power allowing European nations to lend arms or contract loans. In end, Europe did not mediate the war

Political Party

Political Party: Whig, Republican