ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Mrs. Chen; 8th grade U.S. History

BACKGROUND

February 12th, 1809 – April 15th, 1865

Self-educated Kentucky lawyer; Whig Party

6’4”; Married to Mary Todd Lincoln; 4 Sons

Illinois congressman; opposed Kansas-Nebraska Act;

lost to Stephen Douglas in the Senate race of 1858

1st President to be photographed at inauguration

and 1st to be assassinated

“HOUSE DIVIDED”

After being nominated for the U.S. Senate by the

Illinois Republicans, Lincoln delivered a speech in

Congress known as the “House Divided” Speech.

Drawing upon the bible verse Mark 3:25, Lincoln’s

words would rally Republicans all across the North

as he warned of the dangers of disunion caused by

the slavery debate

A house divided against itself cannot stand. 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.

ELECTION OF 1860

The new Republican party nominated

Lincoln to run for president in 1860. Lincoln

won the clear majority electoral votes and

40% of the popular votes.

As states began to secede, President James

Buchanan told Congress that the states had

no right to secede, but that he had no power

to stop them.

1861 INAUGURAL ADDRESS

March 4th, 1861

He said that secession would not be permitted

and vowed to hold federal property in the South

and enforce the laws of the United States.

At the same time, he pleaded with Southerners

for reconciliation.

SECESSION

Lincoln also addressed the legality of secession.

Countering the South’s argument of States’ Rights,

Lincoln reminded people of the primary goals of the

Constitution: “In order to form a more perfect Union”

Lincoln argued that even if the Constitution were to

be interpreted as a simple contract, it could only be

rescinded if ALL states agreed to that.

WAR CHANGES LINCOLN

As the Civil War dragged on, Lincoln changes his mind and

decides to end slavery. Ending slavery would discourage

Europeans who opposed slavery from assisting the

Confederacy and it would deprive the Confederacy of a large

part of their workforce.

On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation

Proclamation declaring that slaves in the Confederate

states are free.

EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION

Confederate states ignored the document.

For many in the North, the Emancipation

Proclamation changed the primary goal of the

war from simply preserving the Union to ending

slavery as well and living up to the Declaration of

Independence’s ideal that “all men are created

equal.”

GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

In November of 1863, Lincoln traveled to Pennsylvania to

speak at the dedication of a new burial ground for soldiers

lost in the Battle of Gettysburg. Although his speech was

merely ten sentences long and lasted just over 2 minutes, it

would become one of the most important political speeches in

American history.

His words echoed those in the Declaration of Independence

and reminded Americans what the men had died for: equality

and lasting democracy.

1865 INAUGURAL ADDRESS: A M E SS A G E O F R E C O N C I L I AT I O N

…let us strive on to bind up the

nation’s wounds

…but let us judge not, that we be not

judged

…to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphans…

ASSASSINATIONApril 14th, 1865: President Lincoln and his wife, Mary went to a play at Ford’s Theatre, located between the White House and the Capitol. They sat in the flag-covered president’s box with some other guests and the play was funny.Then there was a gun shot, a man climbed out of the president’s box, leaped on to the stage, said something in Latin, and was gone. A woman screamed and a voice cried out, “The president has been shot!”

ASSASSINATION

Abraham Lincoln died the next day in a small house across the street from the theatre, it was April 15th 1865

He was shot by John Wilkes Booth, a 26-year-old actor who was sure the South would cheer his act. They didn’t. Confederate General George Pickett said: “The South has lost her best friend and protector in this her direst hour of need.”

Booth was hunted and trapped in a Virginia tobacco barn. The barn was set on fire. When he wouldn’t come out, he was shot.