There was no sudden start to the civil war. Slavery has been a major issue since the United States gained independence from Great Britain in 1776. Unlike the northern states, the southern states believed in slavery. It was time for the states to be united when Abraham Lincoln became president in 1861. In the past, these differences caused tensions between sections and constant debate The Constitution of the United States of America was written in 1789. The purpose of the Constitution was to make sure that America would never again be ruled by another group of people (Document 1). Nevertheless, the Americans were using slaves for their own economic purposes at this time. Neither slavery nor the rights of black Americans were directly addressed …show more content…
The North consisted of all free states. They started abolitionist movements alongside former and current slaves. Northern newspapers claimed that the United States would be freed of slavery and kept out for good (Document 3). Frederick Douglass was a former slave who openly advocated for abolitionism. In a speech he gave, Douglass addressed the fact that black people were not given the same rights as white people in America. However, it was stated in the Constitution that all men were created equal (Document 2). Northerners supported these beliefs and aimed to rid the country of slavery, while Southerners argued the opposite. This led to large regional divides in the USA. The southern states were economically dependent on slave labor and agriculture, meaning that abolishing slavery was not an option in the minds of many Southerners. The slaves were treated horribly by their masters, yet the masters did not see this. Along with other Southerners, the masters believed that they had the most difficult lives. They believed they were bound to their work, meaning it constantly had to be their priority (Document 4). This led to the view that slavery was a vital aspect of the economy, which was justified by the notion that slaves fared better than masters. This worldview created a severe schism between the North and the South, resulting in the Civil War. The master, according to Southern writer George …show more content…
Originally from the South, Lincoln grew up around slavery and racism. However, his main concern was his country. In a speech, Lincoln expressed that, although he believed slavery was morally wrong, “he did not expect the Union to be dissolved; he did not expect the house to fall; but he did expect it would cease to be divided. As a result, it will become all one thing or all the other” (Document 6). Lincoln wanted what was right for the country, to become a more unified nation. His predecessor, James Buchanan, had the same ideas as Lincoln. In his inaugural address, Buchanan stated that slavery has alienated and estranged the Union people (Document 5). This scared both Northerners and Southerners, as they did not know which way the president would lean, which led to the start of the Civil
It would be more than difficult not to read Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address without some sense of pride or honor for one’s own country. He brings about a call to civility among all citizens striving for unity and harmony with one another. Lincoln understood the dilemma that slavery became for not only the Northerners attempting to abolish the practice entirely, but also for the Southerners perpetuating it in the first place. The fact that there was a faction rising in favor of slavery on a scale that would divide the country indefinitely and that Lincoln foresaw this danger demonstrates the level of prudence he was able to acquire up until his presidency. In this address, Lincoln stressed the importance of the nation staying unified and true to the principles set by
During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency at the start of the 1860, an issue that had divided the nation was slavery. Lincoln’s election to presidency as a republic was not received well by the Southern slave states, as they thought that as a republican he was out to abolish slavery. In an effort to calm southern states and keep them from seceding from the United States, he attempts to ease them with his First Inaugural Address. In his First Inaugural Address his key points are to clam southern leaders of slave states, keep the states from seceding, and make them at ease as he enters presidency.
Lincoln was well educated over current case-law problems pertaining too slave and free states. Over one of the worst decisions ever made by the Supreme Court, the Dred Scott decision threatened to bring slavery into the North. Lincoln was stressing the fact that if something wasn’t done, slavery would no doubt trickle out of the South, and into the rest of America. While the Supreme Court was fumbling and backtracking, there was another law that brought slavery closer. The Kansas-Nebraska bill overrode previous legislation and allowed white male residents to vote on whether to permit slavery therein.
This speech served as an appeal to the citizens to stand up and be ready fight on the path to pursue the main goal of the Civil War – restoration of the Union. Lincoln used the war over slavery as a strategy that helped unite not only slaves, but also other people who strongly supported the abolition of slavery. Not only he was able to achieve the solidarity and cohesion of many citizens, but also increase their faith in the decisions and acts of the government. More people supported Lincoln because they truly believed that he wanted to protect their interests and that his decisions and strategies were essential in order to achieve the main objective of the Civil War. Thus,
In Colonial America President Lincoln's views over slavery changed as time went past. He at first believed slavery was only acceptable to the south, then eventually began to think slavery was not acceptable at all. His first viewpoint was to stop slavery from expanding, secondly he wanted to colonize the slaves, and thirdly he wanted to let the slaves, freely, to live among the whites. Lincoln's first viewpoint was to stop slavery from expanding to new states. During the Lincoln and Douglas debates, Lincoln showed these views and they were greatly agreed upon.
Lincoln talks about the union in Document G and said the following: “But you say that sooner than yield your legal right to the slave—especially at the bidding of those who are not themselves interested, you would see the Union dissolved.” If the South successfully separated from the North the Confederacy would no longer be under the control of the Union and Lincoln’s access to freeing the slaves would minimal. This “new nation” that Lincoln was trying to create and put into effect had a strong foundation based upon Constitutional rights which declare that all men are created equal. Yes, maybe Lincoln at this point wanted to keep the Union together, which can most definitely be perceived as racist too but slavery on the back burner for the time being, but in the end, he encouraged and defended the rights of all humans.
When Lincoln first took office, he neither wanted to abolish or allow the expansion of slavery. This is demonstrated in his First Inaugural Address when it states, “ I have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery” This shows he didn’t want to abolish it because he knew he didn’t have the
"No man is good enough to govern another man, without that other's consent. I say this is the leading principle -- the sheet anchor of American republicanism"(Lincoln, 1854). In his earlier career, he showed he was strongly against slavery. He thought slavery was “immoral” (Foner, 2009). The reason why Lincoln was able to be elected as president was that he created his own iron – Against Slavery and Men Equal Rights.
If Abraham Lincoln passed the law of slavery being illegal the Northerners would leave the Union. During this time of war, Abraham Lincoln could not risk the Northerners leaving the Union. If he were to estrange them they could oppose the
As the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln made very important decisions. One decision he had to make was on slavery. Lincoln felt that there was not much that he could do to stop slavery from occurring. In the South the economy was based off of slavery, in the North it was based on machines and industry. If he took away the South’s economy then that would be unfair. .
Abraham Lincoln’s position on significant and important topics during the time of this inaugural speech he presented on slavery, the Constitution, and of course the Union was seemingly trying to please all the states possibly in an effort to avoid war, violence, and the unitedness of states. Lincoln’s opinion on slavery is he believes that whether or not a state wanted to be either a slave state or a free state is up to the state itself rather than put into the hands of the federal government. In his speech Lincoln states, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. ”(First Inaugural Address of Abraham
citizenship and join our nation with their new-found freedom. Although the North’s victory led to many southerners feeling like it was an unjust violation of the way they live due to the South's economy so strongly relying on slaves, which resulted in the south hating the North, but the North's victory also caused many people to believe slavery, racism, and discrimination were morally wrong, which helped push our society towards the Civil Rights Movement and other positive reforms in the
Lincoln believed that slavery was an offence. He made it very clear with the emancipation proclamation which was said to free all slaves from rebellious states even if he didn’t have that type of power. Therefore, Lincoln had many ideas for the future and for others to follow and
In 1865 Abraham Lincoln surprised his audience with a speech on politics, slavery and states’ rights. Lincoln described his vision to the countrymen to encourage on what he thought was important. He pronounced his speech his hopes for the future of their nation and contemplated the effects of the Civil War. Lincoln uses people as an example; a lot of countrymen dreaded, despised, and tried to avert the war. The people of the north and south did not come together and the war came.
During the history of the United States there have been very respectable speakers Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy but perhaps no greater leader in American history came to addressing the country like Abraham Lincoln. In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln gave a short speech concerning the effect of the Civil War and his own personal vision for the future of the nation. In this speech Lincoln uses many different rhetorical strategies to convey his views of the Civil War to his audience.