Abraham Lincoln

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Abraham Lincoln
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Overview

• To understand the Civil War, you must be a
  student of Lincoln
• Witty
• Charisma
• Captivating storyteller
• Analytical, logical
• A humble visionary see big picture
• He was the right person at the right time and the
  country has been shaped by his leadership ever
  since

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Lincoln on Slavery

• I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of
  slavery
• itself. I hate it because it deprives our
  republican example of its
• just influence in the world enables the enemies
  of free
• institutions, with plausibility, to taunt us as
  hypocrites causes
• he real friends of freedom to doubt our
  sincerity, and especially
• because it forces so many really good men amongst
  ourselves
• into an open war with the fundamental principles
  of civil liberty
• criticizing the Declaration of Independence,
  and insisting that
• there is no right principle of action but self
  interest.

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Lincoln A House Divided

• Acceptance speech for Illinois Senate Race -1858
• I believe this government cannot endure
  permanently half slave and half free. I do not
  expect the union to be dissolved I do not
  expect the house to fall but I do expect it
  will cease to be divided. It will become all one
  thing or all the other (all free or all slave)

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Lincoln Douglas Debates - 1858

• Lincoln and Douglas debated seven times
• Well attended
• Fan Fare
• Both men were excellent speakers and keen
  intellects
• Critical of one another
• Douglas said
• People/states should have sovereignty over
  slavery
• House Divided speech radical
• Lincoln an Abolitionist Black Republican who
  wants equality for Blacks
• Lincoln
• No place in a democracy
• Wont abolish slavery, but wont let it spread
• Douglas want to extend slavery

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Equal Rights Issue

• Douglas accused Lincoln of wanting equal rights
  for African Americans.
• At the Charleston debate, Lincoln said,
• I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of
  bringing about in any way the social and
  political equality of the white and black races.
  I am not nor ever have been in favor of making
  voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying
  them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white
  people and I will say in addition to this that
  there is a physical difference between the white
  and black races which I believe will forever
  forbid the two races living together on terms of
  social and political equality. And insomuch as
  they cannot so live, while they do remain
  together there must be the position of superior
  and inferior, and I as much as any other man am
  in favor of having the superior position assigned
  to the white race

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Lincolns plan to handle slavery

• The Union comes first Much as I hate slavery, I
  would consent to the extension of it rather than
  see the Union dissolved, just as I would consent
  to any great evil to avoid a greater one.
• Government cant remove slavery
• Unconstitutional
• Focused on stopping the spread of slavery
• Preserve opportunities for white workers
• Supported government funded expansion for white
  people

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Freeport Doctrine

• Lincoln Can people from a territory exclude
  slavery if they wished to do so?
• Douglas Yes they could legislate to that end
• Alienated Douglas from Southern Democrats
• Contradicted Dred Scott
• Already mad at him for rejecting the Lecompton
  Constitution
• Regardless, Lincoln will lose in 1858

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Election of 1860

• Republicans Lincoln moderate on slavery
• Democrats Divided
• Northern Democrats Stephan Douglas
• Southern Democrats John Breckenridge
• Constitutional Union Party John Bell
• Lincoln not on southern ballots, but wins

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Election Results of 1860
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Southern Secession

• The Southern way of life in danger
• Draw parallel to 1776
• South Carolina on Dec. 20th, 1960
• First Ordinances of Secession
• In Jan-Feb of 1861 the following secede
• Georgia
• Florida
• Alabama
• Mississippi
• Louisiana
• Texas

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Crittenden Compromise Dec 1860

• Amendments to Constitution
• Protect slavery where it exists
• 36 30 line - demarcation for slavery
• Allow slavery on federal property (forts) and in
  Washington
• Interstate slave trade no federal interference
• No future amendments could override these
• Lincoln rejected it
• Devalued all that the republicans stood for
• Some Southerners rejected it as well. (Jeff
  Davis, Robert Toombs) They felt war was necessary
  and inevitable

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James Buchanan

• Pennsylvania democrat - pro- Southern
• Felt Black Republicans were disunionists
• He aligned himself with Southern interests
• Lecompton Constitution
• Dred Scott v. Sanford
• Opposition to Stephan Douglas
• Disagreed with secession, but did not know how to
  react
• Did not support either side
• This made him an outsider to both northerners and
  southerners
• Felt it was not in federal govts power to force
  states back into the Union
• Said he would not use force

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Southern Organization Efforts

• Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the President
  of the Confederate States of America Feb 18th,
  1861
• Alexander Stevens - VP
• Constitution Mar 11, 1861
• Provisional Army 10,000 troops
• They begin to seize federal forts in the South

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Inaugural Address

• He reaffirmed that he had no intention of
  interfering with slavery in the Southern States
• He pledged
• to enforce the fugitive slave law
• he endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment
  protecting slavery in the states.
• Finally he said, 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 can have no conflict,
  without being yourselves the aggressors