Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator

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Lincoln was a self-taught lawyer which earned him the name "Honest Abe", Lincoln was one of the greatest opponents of slavery, and he brought the nation together through preserving the Union. Lincoln was elected president in November of 1860 shortly before the Civil War. There have been 44 presidents in all of American history, but very few can be considered one of the greatest. Many people classify Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, president of all time. Lincoln has many accomplishments. He is known for enacting policies that helped America, preserving the Union, and most of all abolishing slavery.

Abraham Lincoln is also known as "The Great Emancipator" for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.The Emancipation …show more content…

It determined what kind of country the U.S would be. It would either be a divided confederation of states or an undivided nation with a sovereign national government and whether or not it would be a country of slavery. Lincoln put all his efforts into preserving the Union during his presidency. "I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided." Lincoln said this in his "House Divided" speech. Slavery and the secession of the Southern states were his biggest problems. He could deal with slavery, but how could he deal with the division of the country? He would have to deal with this using economic, military, and political policies. His economic strategy was to use the advantages the North had over the South. They had more manufacturing factories than the South. They had a bigger population and had more workers. They also had more railroads for trade. This made them have an economic advantage over the South. His military strategy was to take control of the Mississippi River and Richmond. His political strategy was to promise the South that he wouldn't end slavery immediately but gradually. Lincoln didn't hate the South for what they did and he didn't want to punish them for it. Instead, he issued the 10% Plan which stated that a southern state could be readmitted into