Abraham Lincoln Equality

Not Just a President During nineteenth century America, Abraham Lincoln contributed his philosophy of equality for all men and changed the perspective of the American people. Since February 12, 1809, Lincoln was born and raised on the farm. He was tall and skinny, but strong and handy with an ax. He scarcely had any formal education and until he was ten-years-old, he could not read. Despite the fact that both his parents were illiterate, he taught himself to read and write, due to the prodding of his stepmother. He read every book that he could find, often walking several miles to borrow a book from a neighbor. Among those books were possibly the writings of Plutarch and Euclid, as well as the Bible. Because of the intellectual books

After his election to the presidency in 1860, seven states in the southern United States seceded. Because of Lincoln’s and the northern states’ strong belief in the abolition of slavery, the Civil War occurred. The Civil War started in 1861 and ended five long years later. The Civil War was a battle of beliefs between the Union, which consisted of the northern states, against the Confederacy, which were mainly the southern states. The Confederacy considered slaves to be their property and that they didn’t have any rights. The Union disagreed and believed that every person, no matter their skin color, were free men and had the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", as stated in the Declaration of Independence. During the Civil War, President Lincoln disregarded the decisions of Congress and made numerous choices without their consent. In an effort to end the war, Abraham presented the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which was a declaration that all slaves must be freed. This was a major victory for the Union, however, the Confederacy disregarded the mandate. Lincoln had no jurisdiction over the southern states, which had seceded from the Union, thus they still possessed slaves. For the next two years, the Union army chased down every soldier and sympathizer of the Confederate army. Unfortunately, President Lincoln did not witness the end of the Civil War because John Wilkes

Through his political position, Lincoln successfully persuaded countless people to understand his viewpoint on the abolition of slavery. His passion and logic together helped him win the presidency. With his speeches and actions, he paved the way for racial equality. President Lincoln’s philosophy prohibited slavery in the future fifty states and changed the attitude of Americans towards the African-American people. Even after his death, the president’s ideas continued to inspire others to stand up for racial equality. Many people believed in Lincoln’s motivating words, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” The message of his speech called for a rise to unity, to band together, and to support one another. Recently, there had been a movement in America known as Black Lives Matter. Based on his philosophy, Abraham Lincoln would agree with their cause, although he would support the idea that all lives matter, regardless of the color of their skin or their