Dbq On Abraham Lincoln

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DBQ

In the month of March 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th president of the United States. The north and the south both had different reactions to his presidency. The south felt that Lincoln was a threat to their need of slaves. So when the south heard of Lincoln’s victory 11 states seceded from the United States and became known as the confederacy. Two interesting forms to compare of that time would be the political cartoon by Thomas Nast and The inaugural speech of Alexander H Stephens the vice president of the confederacy. Both Thomas Nast and Alexander H Stephens show the audience different appeals of the aftermath of President Abraham Lincolns inauguration to presidency. However Thomas Nast made it so that when someone

He created a political cartoon in regards to President Lincoln’s presidency and the reactions from the north and the south. His drawing consisted of two frames. One frame depicting Lincoln wearing a dress holding a scale which must symbolize balance. And is portrayed with writing feather while the words “peace” are sketched to the side. On the second frame Lincoln is dressed as a warrior and his facial expression is twisted with disgust as he has one foot over a vanquished enemy. These two completely diverse sketches depicted the different ways the North and the south portrayed Abraham Lincoln. The North who were the minority of the voters of Abraham Lincoln held him as a peace maker. That he would probably end up abolishing slavery as a whole. While the second picture with Abraham dressed as some type of war soldier would have portrayed the South’s sentiment. Which would explain why Nast pictured Abraham as a warrior that without patience would slay down his enemies with a gruesome look. The South also felt that all the power had gone to the north since Abraham won the election without a single vote from the south and just picture they felt like Abraham Lincoln had overcome them. That he was already claiming victory. The south were angry with Lincoln not only because he won the election without winning a SINGLE southern state, but because they felt that Abraham would immediately abolish slavery. The reason Nast could

In his speech he recalls the old constitution to compare his government. He summarizes how the old constitution belief that slavery was “wrong in principle, socially, morally, and politically” was straight up wrong. Stephens fundamental assumption at this time is how he believes that the slaves are not equal to the whites and that the whites were a superior so it’s only natural that to believe that the blacks were put on earth to serve and support his superior race. He also explains how his new government is the first one to finally understand that slavery is a right. And that he should have to conform to the North’s errors of the past generations still cling fanatics. Stephens continues to say that the North must be insane to believe that blacks are equal to whites. Another argument he makes is how Americans in the south have followed this tradition of slavery to the point that the slaves do most of the labor. The southerners felt it was unfair for them to immediately free the slaves which have done their labor which for them was already tradition. They felt like the northerners did not care about their economic dependency on these slaves and their labor. The south states all depend on slavery for economic salvage. According to Stephen the cornerstone of this time period is “the great truth that the Negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery…is his natural and moral