Harriet Tubman Thesis

Abraham Lincoln first took office as the sixteenth president of the United States on March 4th, 1861. During this time period, slavery had caused a division between the country. The environment of the south encouraged farming which required manual labor. African slaves satisfied this need by providing free manual labor against their will. Although the south believed in slavery, the north believed that every man was created equal. This complex debate generated a war over slavery that would tear the country apart. Three months prior to taking office, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Shortly after, it was joined by all of the other states in the Deep South, creating the Confederate States of America which included: South Carolina, Mississippi,

It was a complicated network consisting of secret safe houses and routes. These individuals were usually southerners who were opposed to slavery. Fugitive slaves would travel from safe house to safe house until they reached free land, either a free state or Canada. However, those who arrived in Canada did not have to fear the Fugitive Slave Act. This act stated that any southern slaveholders had the right to use weapons in order to capture their slaves that had managed to escape into free states. Harriet Tubman, a former slave, was strongly involved in the Underground Railroad. After escaping slavery herself, she helped about three hundred slaves escape from the south. In order to achieve freedom, Tubman required these slaves that they can not turn back. If they attempt to go back to slavery because they were afraid, she would shoot them because they would not only be putting themselves, but also her into

During his presidency, he encountered many challenges revolving around the American Civil War. Throughout this time period, there was a push for the immediate emancipation of slavery, known as the Abolitionist Movement. In addition, the Underground Railroad was ran by abolitionists that wanted to help fugitive slaves gain freedom. During the war, Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation, temporarily banning slavery in southern states at war. Lastly, after the war, Lincoln created the Thirteenth Amendment which was passed by Congress, abolishing slavery. Although Abraham Lincoln wasn't an abolitionist, he played a significant role in abolishing slavery in America by establishing the Emancipation Proclamation and forming the Thirteenth