Download 1 of 4 As we told you in our last Lesson, when Abraham

History Lesson 8
Civil War (Grade 8)
Instruction 8-1
Abraham Lincoln
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As we told you in our last Lesson, when Abraham Lincoln was elected President,
South Carolina immediately seceded from the Union. By the day of his
Inauguration, six more states had followed suit: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama,
Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. Eventually four more states would declare their
intention to leave the Union.
Although slavery was the root cause of the Civil War, the immediate cause was
states' rights. In particular the right of a state to secede. President Lincoln
thought that secession was illegal and was willing to use force to prevent it. As
he said to the South in his First Inaugural Address, "You have no oath registered
in Heaven to destroy the Government, while I have the most solemn one to
preserve, protect and defend it."
Where did this extraordinary man come from?
The Early Years
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a log cabin in backwoods
Hardin County, Kentucky -- pioneer country. His father was an itinerant
carpenter and farmer. His mother, Nancy Hanks, died when he was 9. But his
father's next wife, Sarah Bush Johnson, was a kind and affectionate stepmother.
Lincoln had less than one year of formal schooling but taught himself to read and
write. His family eventually moved to Macon County, Illinois. In 1831 he settled
on his own in New Salem, Illinois -- a small town not far from the big city of
Springfield.
In New Salem, he worked on farms, split rails and worked in a store. He studied
law -- again on his own -- and served as village postmaster. Gangly and tall (6
feet 4 inches), he became popular with the townspeople, both for his storytelling
ability and his strength of character. In 1834, he was elected to the state
legislature, where he served four terms.
In 1836 he obtained his license as an attorney. So in 1837 he moved to
Springfield, where there were greater opportunities. He was a very successful
lawyer and was especially effective with juries. In 1842 he married the daughter
of one of Springfield's leading families, Mary Todd, who was thought to be
marrying beneath her station. She was a difficult woman, excitable and
extravagant, but the couple remained together and had four sons -- only one of
whom lived to adulthood.
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California Content Standards Grade 8 8.10.4
B. J. Subbiondo © 2003
History Lesson 8
Civil War (Grade 8)
Instruction 8-1
Abraham Lincoln
www.etap.org
After four terms in the state legislature, Lincoln was elected to the United States
Congress, where he served one term (1847-1849). He worked hard to elect the
Whig presidential candidate, Zachary Taylor, in 1848. In return, he expected to
receive a government appointment. When he did not get the job he wanted -Commissioner of the General Land Office -- he retired from politics and returned
to Springfield to resume his law practice.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
But Abraham Lincoln was an ambitious man. The life of a prairie lawyer wasn't
enough for him. Although he was not an abolitionist, Lincoln regarded slavery
as unjust and evil. He was strongly opposed to its extension into new territories
and states. So in 1856 he switched from the Whig party to the Republican Party,
which took a stronger position against slavery.
In 1858 he was nominated to run against Stephen A. Douglas for Senator from
Illinois. He challenged Douglas to a series of debates. Seven were held -- and
they made him famous.
Douglas was in favor of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which would have allowed
settlers to take slaves into Kansas and Nebraska. Lincoln opposed it.
Throughout the debates, he spoke masterfully against slavery and for the
preservation of the Union. Here are what may be his most famous words:
"---'a house divided against itself cannot stand' … this government
cannot endure permanently half slave and half free."
He was right. So although Douglas was reelected Senator, Lincoln's emerged
from the debates as something even better -- a potential candidate for President.
The Presidency
In 1860, the Republic Party held its convention in Chicago. The leading
contender for the presidential nomination was William H.Seward, who eventually
became Lincoln's Secretary of State. But Seward had many enemies. So
Lincoln, a compromise candidate, was nominated instead -- on the third ballot. In
the election, the Democratic Party split into Northern and Southern branches -2 of 4
California Content Standards Grade 8 8.10.4
B. J. Subbiondo © 2003
History Lesson 8
Civil War (Grade 8)
Instruction 8-1
Abraham Lincoln
www.etap.org
which divided the vote. This gave Lincoln the election. Although he won a
majority in the Electoral College, he received a minority of the popular vote.
As President, Lincoln was determined to preserve the Union. Although
condemning secession, he promised not to use force against the rebellious
states. But after some hesitation, he finally agreed to send provisions to the
federal military garrison at Ft. Sumter, South Carolina. The South regarded this
as an act of war. So on April 12, 1861, southern General Pierre G.T. Beauregard
fired on the Fort.
The Civil War had begun.
The Civil War
Lincoln immediately issued a summons to the militia, asking for volunteers. This
caused four more state to secede: Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia and
Tennessee. This completed the 11-state Confederacy. The President also
ordered a blockade of Confederate ports and suspended habeas corpus, which
caused considerable criticism.
Although not a professional military man, Lincoln is widely considered to have
dealt skillfully with the problems of war. During its course, he extended his
executive powers but exercised them with restraint. Not only did he face war
with the South, he was opposed by many in the North. Including many
abolitionists -- who considered him "soft" on slavery.
Lincoln's first priority was to secure the Border States. But he faced terrible
personnel problems. The first commander of the Union Army was General
George C. McClellan, a veteran of the Mexican War. McClellan seemed
reluctant to fight and the South scored early victories. Lincoln was forced to
remove him and replace him with John Pope, who wasn't much better.
Eventually the right commander was found in Ulysses S. Grant.
Throughout the war, the primary aim of the North was to restore the Union. The
South's objective was for the North to recognize the independence and
sovereignty of the Confederacy, which of course it never did. After 1862, the
North also had a secondary goal -- to free the slaves. Lincoln felt that this would
weaken the Confederacy and help end the war. After the Union victory at
Antietam, Lincoln felt strong enough to issue his Emancipation Proclamation (on
January 1, 1863), declaring that all slaves in areas still in rebellion were "then,
thenceforth and forever free."
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California Content Standards Grade 8 8.10.4
B. J. Subbiondo © 2003
History Lesson 8
Civil War (Grade 8)
Instruction 8-1
Abraham Lincoln
www.etap.org
But preservation of the Union remained Lincoln's main goal, as expressed in his
famous Gettysburg Address. This address, one of the most eloquent and moving
speeches ever given, was made at the dedication of the soldiers' cemetery at the
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, battlefield on November 19,1863. This address was
very brief but tremendously powerful. In it, Lincoln concluded, 'that we here
highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under
God, shall have a new birth of freedom --and that government of the people, by
the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth."
To read the Gettysburg Address in its entirety, go to:
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/gettyb.htm
The Beginning of the End
Lincoln was reelected in 1864, defeating George B. McClellan by a huge
majority (212 to 21 electoral votes). The war was drawing to a close and it
seemed obvious that the North would win. In his Second Inaugural Address,
delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln called for forgiveness and a speedy rejoining
of the North and South. He uttered these stirring words: "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 read Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, click:
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-3443.html
Not only did Lincoln envision a peaceful reunion of North and South, he had a
thorough plan for the physical reconstruction of the South and the education and
integration of former slaves into American society.
Tragically, what he intended was not to be.
On April 14, 1865, an actor, John Wilkes Booth, shot President Abraham Lincoln
at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. He died the next day.
Lincoln's plans and dreams and spirit of generosity died with him. America never
became the country Lincoln hoped it could be.
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California Content Standards Grade 8 8.10.4
B. J. Subbiondo © 2003