The Civil War: The Impact Of Abraham Lincoln On Slavery

659 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Abraham Lincoln views on slavery

Abraham Lincoln’s position on slavery had always been the same, but his stance politically and publicly evolved from reserved to involved during the years leading up to his presidency. The more Lincoln got involved in politics, the more he pushed for his own beliefs that black men were equal and slavery was wrong. Abraham Lincoln went from being a personally reserved politician, basing most of his public political beliefs on the law to being an outspoken advocate to ending slavery. Lincoln’s stance in politics started as a mostly lawful view. He just wanted everyone to live as the Constitution gave them the right to do. He always had the belief that slavery was wrong, but as he stated in a letter to Joshua Speed in 1855, “I bite my lip and keep quiet,” when speaking of his encounter with the holding of slaves in chains on a ship (Lincoln to Speed). Lincoln would not publicly upset anyone with his views because the law declared slavery as legal. With saying this, in this letter, Lincoln also speaks of his continuous acts in congress to stop the spread of slavery. He claims to have “voted for the Wilmot Proviso,” and he opposed to restoration of the Missouri Compromise if Kansas did petition for statehood in the Union (Lincoln to Speed). During the …show more content…

In a speech, Lincoln expresses how people that say slavery is good would never be a slave and endure the “good thing” that they constantly claim (No Man Wishes to be a Slave”). Around this same time, Lincoln disclosed in a letter to James Brown that he thinks African Americans are people and black men should be equal. He also explains his beliefs that the national government should not intervene the states’ government laws (Letter to James Brown). Lincoln gradually began to more openly express his views on the issue of slavery but still did not really push for it to

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Lincoln's House Divided By Abraham Lincoln

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lincoln was a very smart lawyer and politician. During his “House Divided” speech he asked the question, “Can we, as a nation, continue together permanently, forever, half slave, and half free?" When he first asked this question, America was slowly gaining the knowledge and realizing that as a nation, it could not possibly exist as half-slave and half-free. It was either one way or the other. “Slavery was unconstitutional and immoral, but not simply on a practical level.” (Greenfield, 2009) Slave states and free states had significantly different and incompatible interests. In 1858, when Lincoln made his “House Divided” speech, he made people think about this question with views if what the end result in America must be.

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln's War Aims Compared to William Sherman and Walt Whitman

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lincoln above all solely wanted to save the Union. It was his philosophy that he did not want to rid the country of or promote the institution of slavery, but to prevent the introduction of slavery into new territories and the preserving of the Union. Lincoln, very evidently, stood neutral on the issue of slavery, saying he wouldn't agree with both 1) men who wouldn't save the Union unless they could save slavery at the same time and 2) men who wouldn't save the Union unless they could destroy slavery also (276). This most likely proved to be a huge factor in the war because Lincoln was not choosing sides, but he was more being the mediator. Lincoln...

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Cuts Through the Lincoln Myth to Consider the Man

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this social movement it talks about people are not treated equally. This speech talks about how African Americans should not be slaves anymore. This speech talks about how he grew up in life listening to the president speak and how he gave all his speeches to the people of the United States. The theme of this speech is help others realize that we should help each other out. To protect, defend, and perpetuate slavery in the states where it existed Abraham Lincoln was not less ready than any other president to draw the sword of the nation.” (Frederick Douglass). (Frederick Douglass Cuts Through The Lincoln Myth To Consider The Man). This quote talks about how we should always protect each other and that Abraham Lincoln agrees on the fact that slavery should be put to an end. “When now it shall be said that the colored man is soulless that he has no appreciation of benefits or beneficiation, when to foul reproach of ingratitude is hurled at us, and it is attempted to, we may comply point to the monument we have this day erected to the memory or Abraham Lincoln.” (Frederick Douglass). (Frederick Douglass Cuts Through The Lincoln Myth To Consider The Man). ...

    Read More

  • Lincoln-Douglas Debate

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    Abraham Lincoln's position on slavery was the belief that the expansion of it to Free states and new territories should be ceased and that it eventually be abolished completely throughout the country. He believed simply that slavery was morally wrong, along with socially and politically wrong in the eyes of a Republican. Lincoln felt that this was a very important issue during the time period because there was starting to be much controversy between the Republicans and the Democrats regarding this issue. There was also a separation between the north and the south in the union, the north harboring the Free states and the south harboring the slave states. Lincoln refers many times to the Constitution and its relations to slavery. He was convinced that when our founding fathers wrote the Constitution their intentions were to be quite vague surrounding the topic of slavery and African-Americans, for the reason that he believes was because the fathers intended for slavery to come to an end in the distant future, in which Lincoln refers to the "ultimate extinction" of slavery. He also states that the men who wrote the constitution were wiser men, but obviously did not have the experience or technological advances that the men of his day did, hence the reasons of the measures taken by our founding fathers.

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipation

    1764 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a speech that Lincoln gave prior to his presidency, we can see how ambiguous his stance on slavery truly was. This speech, known as the ‘House Divided’ speech, was given on the 16th of June, 1858, and outlined his beliefs regarding secession, but did not solidify the abolition of slavery as his main goal. Lincoln states that the nation “could not endure, permanently half slave and half free,” and that the slavery will either cease to exist, or will encompass all states lawfully (Lincoln). At this point in his life, Lincoln’s primary concern is clearly with the preservation of the nation.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass’ Fourth of July Speech

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his speech, Frederick Douglass made it clear that he believed that the continued toleration and support of slavery from both a religious and legal standpoint was utterly absurd when considering the ideals and principles advocated by America’s forefathers. He began by praising the American framers of the Constitution, an...

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln and Slavery

    1612 Words  | 4 Pages

    He wisely used the issue of slavery to appeal to both the abolitionists and to Negrophobes, Northerners who were afraid of living side-by- side with Negroes and competing with them for jobs. For example, on July 10th of 1959, Lincoln gave a speech in Chicago, a primarily abolitionist town. Lincoln stated that inequality was unnecessary in this country. If all men were created equal then were should look past race, saying, “Let us discard all these things, and unite as one people throughout this land, until we shall once more stand up declaring that all men are created equal” (Hofstadter, pg. 148).

    Read More

  • Essay On The Emancipation Proclamation

    770 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lincoln 's view on slavery was that he was highly against it. Lincoln is known as an abolitionists; someone who doesn 't agree with slavery. He supported the 13th Amendment simply because it would put an end to all slavery in the United States. Lincoln would often give speeches to the public about how he was against slavery. His words were, "Resolutions upon the subject of domestic slavery having passed both branches of the General Assembly at it 's present session, the undersigned hereby protest against the passage of the same." What Lincoln was saying is that problems of slavery have not been resolved they have just been ignored. The skaves protest that they don 't feel they should be ignored or their issues. Lincoln 's cabinet also had their own opinionated views about Lincolns decision on the Proclamation. The opinions from the cabinet were mixed, meaning none were the same or a few were the same but not ever all the same. "William H. Seward convinced Lincoln to wait to issue the Proclamation until after a Union military got a victory." The Union got that victory on September 17, 1862 at the Battle of

    Read More

  • Slavery: The Primary Cause Of The Civil War

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Civil War was technically caused by the secession of the Southern States, but the secession was primarily about slavery. One can infer, then, that the Civil War was indirectly, but primarily, caused by Slavery. It is important to note that just because Slavery was the primary cause of the civil war does not mean that the war was only about slavery. The war was fought for a plethora of different reasons that surrounded the creation of a new and independent nation. These reasons include states’ rights (rights to maintain and spread slavery for the most part, however a state’s right to secede appeared to be heavily contested as well), the power of federal government (something the south wanted to weaken in order to maintain slavery), and economic and cultural differences, which had the south relying more heavily on slaves to work at plantations. While these reasons

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln and the Kansas-Nebraska Act

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    Abraham Lincoln’s original views on slavery were formed through the way he was raised and the American customs of the period. Throughout Lincoln’s influential years, slavery was a recognized and a legal institution in the United States of America. Even though Lincoln began his career by declaring that he was “anti-slavery,” he was not likely to agree to instant emancipation. However, although Lincoln did not begin as a radical anti-slavery Republican, he eventually issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and in his last speech, even recommended extending voting to blacks. Although Lincoln’s feeling about blacks and slavery was quite constant over time, the evidence found between his debate with Stephen A. Douglas and his Gettysburg Address, proves that his political position and actions towards slavery have changed profoundly.

    Read More

  • The Secession Crisis

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    Contrary to what today’s society believes about Lincoln, he was not a popular man with the South at this time. The South wanted to expand towards the West, but Lincoln created a geographical containment rule keeping slavery in the states it currently resided in. Despite his trying to rationalize with the South, Lincoln actually believed something different ”Lincoln claimed that he, like the Founding Fathers, saw slavery in the Old South as a regrettable reality whose expansion could and should be arrested, thereby putting it on the long and gradual road ”ultimate extinction” (216). He believed it to be “evil” thus “implying that free southerners were evil for defending it”(275). Lincoln wanted to wipe out slavery for good, and the South could sense his secret motives.

    Read More

  • The Great Emancipator Analysis

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    His personal beliefs had always been opposed to slavery. He believed that the Founding Fathers had put slavery on the road to extinction, and he wanted to continue it down that path. Lincoln acted very professional; he always put the nation before his personal perspective. It transformed the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human freedom. According to the history book “A People and a Nation”, the Emancipation Proclamation was legally an ambiguous document, but as a moral and political document it had great meaning.

    Read More

  • Slavery as the Cause of the American Civil War

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Civil War was the bloodiest military conflict in American history leaving over 500 thousand dead and over 300 thousand wounded (Roark 543-543). One might ask, what caused such internal tension within the most powerful nation in the world? During the nineteenth century, America was an infant nation, but toppling the entire world with its social, political, and economic innovations. In addition, immigrants were migrating from their native land to live the American dream (Roark 405-407). Meanwhile, hundreds of thousand African slaves were being traded in the domestic slave trade throughout the American south. Separated from their family, living in inhumane conditions, and working countless hours for days straight, the issue of slavery was the core of the Civil War (Roark 493-494). The North’s growing dissent for slavery and the South’s dependence on slavery is the reason why the Civil War was an inevitable conflict. Throughout this essay we will discuss the issue of slavery, states’ rights, American expansion into western territories, economic differences and its effect on the inevitable Civil War.

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    Abraham Lincoln (12 Feb. 1809-15 Apr. 1865) the 16th president (civilwar.org) of the United States of America was one of the main public persons that influence the civil war in many aspects. Even though the civil war may have been the last resource the nation had, it could be argue that Lincoln’s governments try its best to find a different solution. The civil war was a conflict that destroyed the nation; it perhaps could have been avoided if the second party had work for a solution. But it is true that maybe both parts could have looked out for the benefits of the people as a whole instead of their personal benefits. Lincoln principal positive effect on the civil war was actually before and during the war when Lincoln’s government had many attempts to prevent the confrontation, and when this one began he took the right decisions to win the war. One of the biggest effects on the civil war was the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which gave the slaves their liberty. Many would agree is that Abraham’s Lincoln effect on the civil war was positive but Lincoln made many mistakes or misjudgments during the war as well. Perhaps the biggest mistake Lincoln did was underestimating the South what caused many unnecessary deaths. He also did had misjudgments that cause many causalities. Since the beginning of time humanity has fought for what they thought was right. In April 12 of 1861(civilwar.org) The US would begin a fight for civic and moral rights, a civil war that perhaps was the last option for a country to reunite its values. Abraham Lincoln was the president of the time and the person the influence the most the course the war took. I strongly believe that Lincoln’s decisions influence or had more positive effects on the country. Being the president at times like the civil war is without doubt it is one of the toughest jobs, and one way or another there is going to be correct and incorrect decisions but I can agree president Lincoln did what he thought it was the best at that moment.

    Read More

  • Virginian Luxuries Dbq

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    That it makes his republican party look like hypocrites for not liking the idea of slavery but still allowing it. His idea would be to take the negroes back to where they belong (libya) to set them free. He describes that the negroes were not animals and deserved certain rights. Lincoln agrees that to stop slavery would be very hard to stop in a short time frame but he believes that it should be on a path during extinction.

    Read More

More about The Civil War: The Impact Of Abraham Lincoln On Slavery

Open Document