Abraham Lincolns presidency - Essay Example

First 13 November 2009 Abraham Lincoln's Presidency "Abraham Lincoln, a tall, rawboned product of the early nineteenth-century frontier, represents symbolically and in reality many of the great themes of Amrican history" (Saunders 51). In Decatur on the 9th and 10th of May 1860, the Illinois state convention was held. Lincoln received his first endorsement to run for presidency in this convention. Defeating candidates such as William H. Seward and Salmon P. Chase, he became the Republican candidate on the third ballot at the 1860Republican National Convention on 18th of May in Chicago.

Defeating Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, John Bell of the new constitutional party and John C. Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats on the 6th of November 1860 Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States of America. Lincoln was the first Republican president who won entirely on the strength of his support in the North. By the mid 1850s, the Republicans emerged as the first sectional party of the nation and due to this the old Second Party System collapsed and the Second Party System was created by realignment.

It acted as a dais on which sectional tensions were played out. The Democratic Party supported the slave system. The election in 1854 saw a realignment of voting patterns and was called the 'Realignment election'. The election of President Abraham Lincoln was seen as a turning point in balancing the power between the parochial and national interests. This election led to the secessionists leaving the Union to form a separate country called the Confederate States of America. However, President-elect Lincoln and President Buchanan refused to accept this appeal.

Discussions of a compromise like the Crittenden compromise were being looked into. But finally the Confederate States of America were formed and they chose Jefferson Davis as their provisional President on 9th February 1861. In his inaugural address Lincoln supported the Corwin Amendment in an attempt to prevent war and reunite the Sates. Lincoln always believed that a peaceful solution was possible. Though Lincoln was inexperienced in military affairs he took hold of the situation to defend Washington and protect the North from defeat.

The Civil War was the main event in Lincoln presidency. "Both :Lincoln and Davis kept control over the selection of Generals to lead their armies" (Boritt 75). Lincoln, in September 1862 released the Emancipation Proclamation which set all the slaves in the South free. Though Lincoln's re-election was doubtful the Republicans re-nominated him. Their strategy asked for the end of slavery and unconditional surrender. Finally, Lincoln was victorious as the war was in favor of the North. In the end the Civil war proved to e the most costly in American history; however, it also marked the end of slavery with the passing of the 13th Amendment.

The Homestead Act was also passed during Lincoln's term, which held that one could own 160 acres of land after living on it for five years. "The independent farmer was, in Lincoln's mind, the typical American citizen" (Shaw 229). Many scholars believe that Abraham Lincoln was one of the best Presidents America has ever had. His biggest achievement was the victory of the Civil war and keeping the Union together. Another great achievement was the liberation of African-Americans and the end of slavery.

Reference List Shaw, Albert. Abraham Lincoln: His Path to the Presidency 1929. United States of America: Kessinger Publishers.. 1929. Boritt, Gabor. The Lincoln Enigma: The Changing Faces of an American Icon. New York: Oxford University Press. 2001. Saunders, Robert M. Power, the Presidency, and the Preamble: Interpretive Essays on Selected Presidents of the United States. USA: Greenwood Publishing Group. 2002.