Abraham Lincolns Presidency

Abraham was the 16th United States President


On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln won the Presidential election and became the 16th President of the United States. A mere six weeks after his inauguration, March 4th, 1861, the American Civil War began. The war between the northern states (Union) and the 11 southern states of the Confederacy was to dominate Abraham Lincoln’s time in office.

During Abraham’s presidential time he was criticized for some of the actions he took, most particularly the suspending of civil liberties. Among these were: setting up the Blockade to cut off supplies to the Confederate states, suspending the writ of habeas corpus and the imprisonment of thousands of people without trial, on suspicion that they were Confederate sympathizers. Lincoln deemed that these actions were necessary as part of the war.

In September 1862 Emancipation was announced and was declared on January 1 1863. The Emancipation proclamation freed any slaves that were not already under Union control. This became a major effort in the war and over 3 million slaves were freed as the Union army moved south. Abraham Linc oln was in favor of colonizing the freed slaves to Liberia at the time of emancipation proclamation, though this did not occur.

In 1864 Abraham Lincoln’s presidency went into its second term as he was re-elected. His second inaugural address on March 4, 1865 is considered to be Abraham’s own personal favorite of his speeches. It is this speech that Abraham Lincoln said “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

While much of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency revolved around the war he also passed a number of important domestic acts. Among these were the Homestead Act (1862) and the Pacific Railway Acts (1862 and 1864). In 1863 Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving Day, and so it has been since.

On December 8, 1863 Abraham Lincon made his Amnesty Proclamation offering pardons under certain conditions to those in Confederate States.

The Civil war officially ended on April 9, 1865. On April 14, 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was shot and died on April 15.

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