Lincoln's Inaugural Address Dbq

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“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves,” said Abraham Lincoln in reference to the slavery that plagued the Southern states. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, observed and protected the Union during the five-year Civil War that devastated the country from 1861 to 1865. Lincoln, however, was not only seen as a heroic leader during this war, but a cause for as to why it began, for many reasons. First, Lincoln’s inaugural address was a cause leading up to the Civil War. The South’s ever-increasing anger toward the North and its abolitionist movement only increased with Lincoln’s election. In his address, he acknowledges the South, saying, “Apprehension seems to exist among the people of …show more content…

This statement holding true, the South was not further comforted by these words. The president’s popularity among the more technologically advanced and populous Northern states caused increased friction between the two sides of the country. The next reason stems from Lincoln’s interferences with slavery during his presidency. From before the time he was even elected, Lincoln was seen as a danger to their rights and unpopular in the South, but the North’s large population outruled the South’s attempts to block him from office. The Compromise of 1850, in which the states are given power to vote on whether or not they became a slaveholding state, affected Lincoln’s time in …show more content…

In his inaugural address, Lincoln attempted to make peace with the Southern states, leaving them with the ominous message: “Shall it be peace, or the sword?” (Abraham Lincoln, Civilwar.org). At the beginning of his campaign, Lincoln attempted to appeal to the South and convince the seceded states to rejoin the Union by communicating his indifference to slavery. This tactic, however, did not work, and Abraham Lincoln realized that slavery would be the downfall of the Union, much to the dismay of the South (Abraham Lincoln, Civilwar.org). After valiantly fighting through many Union losses, a first major win brought about the Emancipation Proclamation; this document was a glimmer of hope for the Union, but enraged the South--their slaves could now be taken by Northern soldiers and freed for life (Abraham Lincoln, History.com). Ultimately, his sacrifices made against the virtues of a once united nation prevailed, and under his presidency, the Union won the Civil