Abraham Lincoln Beliefs

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ETHNICS IN HISTORY: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND EMANCIPATION OF SLAVES

Madison Whitehurst
US History 1301
December 1, 2014

The emancipation of the slaves is considered one of the most life altering accomplishments of United States history. This important aspect of our history undoubtedly could have never been accomplished without the effort and determination of President Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln remained unbroken in his fight against slavery which contributed to his success. Lincoln made many contributions to the United States of America, but most importantly achieved them through his beliefs and effort. Through his commitment and devotion to his beliefs Lincoln successfully and effectively deserves great credibility for the …show more content…

In his Second Inaugural Address alone he “referred to God five times, living God once, Almighty once, Lord once, and Him 3 times”. Lincoln appears to possess deontological ethics considering how he not only had a belief in what God sought as morally right, but also in what the authority of the Union and the United States as a whole believed correct. One of Lincoln’s generals from the Civil War, William T. Sherman, referred to Lincoln as “a pure minded, honest, and good man” along with adding that he had “all faith in him”. Abraham Lincoln’s morality towards God was shown throughout his presidency. Many of the speeches given after the Civil War had references and even directly called God by name. Soon after the Emancipation of the slaves Abraham Lincoln spoke to his nation and concluded that “we have forgotten God” due to the immense and terrible sin of slavery that the nation as a whole committed showing no remorse. Though “there was no need to take positive position on slavery”, Lincoln had the courage to defend other humans who were being enslaved against their own will. President Lincoln made many decisions based on his beliefs including that of the Civil War and Emancipation. Lincoln characterized the Civil War inevitable and knew that he had to pursue the war in order for the union to prosper and remain free. This decision could be simply concluded by his loyalty to the rules of authority of the United States; moreover, Lincoln felt that it was his sole duty to protect and preserve the union. President Lincoln referred to himself as “naturally anti-slavery” and claimed that “if slavery is not wrong, then nothing is wrong”. Many viewed his actions of emancipation as scandalous and outrageous, yet the benefits were crucial for the victory of the Union. Lincoln allowed black men join the union army and rather than seeing it as an abomination he