Abraham Lincoln

by Cothran, Helen

• ISBN13: 9780737709162
• ISBN10: 0737709162
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-01
• Publisher: Greenhaven Pr

Summary

Abraham Lincoln held the presidency during America's most tumultuous period in history. Leading the nation during the Civil War, Lincoln was criticized on the one hand by antislavery radicals as being too conservative on the issue of slavery and on the other by conservatives in Congress who argued that he was too radical. Topics in this volume include Lincoln's involvement in the outbreak of the war, his suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, his efforts to help free the slaves, and his plans for reconstruction.

Table of Contents

Foreword	7	(3)
A Biography	10	(22)
Abraham Lincoln
The Outbreak of Civil War
Averting Civil War: Lincoln Should Have Supported the Crittenden Compromise	32	(7)
David M. Potter
Lincoln should have supported the Crittenden Compromise, which included provisions regarding slavery that would have appeased both Southern secessionists and Northern abolitionists. Without support from Lincoln, the plan failed to pass in the Senate and all hope of keeping compromise alive and averting civil war perished
Lincoln's Handling of the Political Battle That Led to the Civil War	39	(12)
Frank van der Linden
Lincoln was pressured by several opposing political groups during the secession crisis of 1861. In the end, the president sided with radical Republicans who advocated the use of force against the South, thus putting partisan politics above the lives of thousands
The Crisis at Fort Sumter: Lincoln Provoked the South into War	51	(6)
John Shipley Tilley
Lincoln sent an expedition to provision Fort Sumter to deliberately provoke the Confederacy into trying to stop the plan. Lincoln knew that his scheme would force the South to fire the first shot of civil war and would garner public support for his goal of forcing the seceding states back into the Union
Lincoln Did Not Deliberately Provoke War at Fort Sumter	57	(6)
Richard N. Current
Lincoln believed that it was possible for the Union to provision Fort Sumter without provoking the Confederate army to fire on the fort. However, if a first shot was fired, Lincoln wanted the aggression to come from the Confederates so that public opinion would turn against the South
Lincoln's Commitment to Saving the Union	63	(10)
Lord Charnwood
If the Southern states were allowed to secede, it would have destroyed the political integrity of the United States. Lincoln was justified in attempting to preserve the world's first experiment in democracy
How Lincoln Justified the War: From Preserving the Union to Abolishing Slavery	73	(11)
Kenneth M. Stampp
When the Southern states seceded, Lincoln initially justified war on the grounds that the Union must be saved. However, Lincoln eventually came to feel that saving the Union was an inadequate moral justification for such a long and bloody war and instead adopted the cause of emancipation
Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus
Lincoln's Temporary Dictatorship	84	(6)
William Archibald Dunning
Lincoln established a temporary dictatorship when he suspended the writ of habeas corpus in 1861. Although his decision led to the repression of civil liberties as outlined in the Constitution, it ultimately helped save the Union
Lincoln Was Right to Suspend the Writ of Habeas Corpus	90	(8)
J.G. Randall
The secession crisis of 1861 constituted a rebellion, and the Constitution allows for suspension of the writ in such emergencies
Lincoln Reluctantly Carried Out a Policy of Repression	98	(6)
Dean Sprague
Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus reluctantly and mitigated the suspension's effects as best he could by treating prisoners humanely
Lincoln's Repression of Civil Liberties Has Been Exaggerated	104	(7)
James M. McPherson
Critics have unfairly blamed Lincoln for carrying out a policy of repression. Suspension of the writ of habeas corpus was necessary to stop anti-Union activities, and the repression of civil liberties that resulted was not excessive
The Great Emancipator
The Emancipation Proclamation Freed the Slaves	111	(8)
John Hope Franklin
When Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, he transformed the war from a fight to save the Union to a higher moral battle to emancipate the slaves. The Proclamation demoralized the South and fortified the North, which made Union victory---and with it, total emancipation---possible
Radical Republicans in Congress Forced Lincoln to Adopt Emancipation	119	(10)
T. Harry Williams
Lincoln was forced by the anti-slavery radicals to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. The president preferred the more conservative route of compensated emancipation over time, but he knew that he needed the radicals' support in order to win the war and save the Union
Lincoln Held a Lifelong Commitment to Emancipation	129	(9)
LaWanda Cox
Lincoln deserves the title of ``The Great Emancipator.'' Although he frequently had to steer a middle course to appease conservatives, Lincoln nevertheless worked consistently toward emancipation
Lincoln Believed That Saving the Union and Ending Slavery Were Inseparable Goals	138	(8)
David Livingstone
Lincoln believed that slavery itself threatened the Union, since it contradicted the tenet that all men are created equal. Therefore, Lincoln viewed emancipation and the preservation of the Union as inseparable goals
Reconstruction
The Price of Conservatism: The Failure of Lincoln's 10 Percent Plan	146	(8)
Avery Craven
Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction was too conservative to have achieved the racial equality that was necessary for the security of freed slaves. Moreover, it failed to enforce social integration of the freedmen or to alter Southern attitudes on class
Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan Became Increasingly Radical	154	(13)
Hans L. Trefousse
Over time Lincoln altered his ideas on Reconstruction to accommodate the radical Republicans' plans, which promised to offer freed slaves more equality than his successor, Andrew Johnson, eventually secured for them after Lincoln's death
All of Lincoln's Reconstruction Plans Failed	167	(11)
William B. Hesseltine
Every one of Lincoln's plans for Reconstruction failed because he conceded to conservative and radical pressure. At the time of his assassination, he had no plan to reintroduce the seceded states back into the Union
Lincoln Was Responsible for the Passage of the Thirteenth Amendment	178	(12)
J.G. Randall
Richard N. Current
Lincoln succeeded in getting the Thirty-Eighth Congress to pass the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery. Through Lincoln's influence, enough Democrats changed their votes to enable the Amendment to pass at least a year sooner than it otherwise would have
Appendix of Documents	190	(21)
Chronology	211	(5)
For Further Research	216	(3)
Index	219