Abraham Lincoln Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Abraham capital of Nebraska - Essay ExampleHad Abraham Lincoln died in the spring of 1860, he would today be a forgotten man it was his handling of the greatest crisis always faced by America that sparked the continuing interest in his life.Whatever made Lincolns life memorable occurred in the brief but eventful judgment of conviction between the summer of 1860 and the spring of 1865. With the possible exception of the depth of Confederate resolve, nothing shaped the Civil War more than the United States Constitution. (Neely, Mark E, younger The Last Best Hope of basis Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America Harvard University crush out pp.91) The four-year presidential edge assured that Lincoln would be in office throughout the wars duration. The Constitution put the army and the navy in the hands of a determined Republican commander-in-chief. (Neely, Mark E, Jr. The Last Best Hope of Earth Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America Harvard University Press pp.91-92).Little w onder, therefore, that Lincoln was the only United States President whose entire time in office was bounded by war. (McPherson, throng M. Abraham Lincoln A presidential life sentence Oxford University Press pp.5). His administration synchronized with the crisis created by South Carolinas blockade of Fort Sumter, and ended with his assassination quintet days after Lees surrender at Appomattox at his death, Confederate armies were still in the field. (McPherson, James M Abraham Lincoln A presidential Life Oxford University Press pp.5). ... dependence all they needed was to stand their territory the Union forces had to dislodge them while fighting through hostile countryside. (McPherson, James M Abraham Lincoln A presidential Life Oxford University Press pp. 15-16).The personnel disadvantage was that at the outbreak of hostilities, the military was irresistibly Southern, and three quarters of the officer corps were Democrats. And then, there was the question of competence when Linc oln assumed office, the general-in-chief was Winfield Scott, 75 years old, weighing over 300 pounds, suffering from edema and vertigo, and with a disconcerting propensity to overhaul asleep during meetings. (McPherson, James M Abraham Lincoln A presidential Life Oxford University Press pp.17-18). In the political realm, Lincoln was forced to deal with political appointee generals of limited military skills, chosen because their local adjacent enabled them to raise troops in the days before the Union instituted a draft. (McPherson, James M Abraham Lincoln A presidential Life Oxford University Press pp.18-19) Both political leaders and political press, especially the influential Horace Greeley of The New York Tribune, anticipated Lincolns every move, particularly on emancipation further, as Union losses surged, and Lincoln had to navigate a rising anti-war trend among Democrats sympathetic both to the South and to slavery, a movement that raised doubt about his prospects for re-el ection. (McPherson, James M Abraham Lincoln A presidential Life Oxford University Press pp.20-21) As chief executive director, Lincoln defined the nations war aims to preserve the Federal Union and the country as a republic based on majority rule he coined the term war powers to justify extra-constitutional executive