Olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln

Lincoln biographer Douglas L. Wilson considers this reading to have been "exploratory". Lincoln wrote that he began studying law "in earnest" after the election of Using books borrowed from the law firm of Stuart and Judge Thomas DrummondLincoln began to study law in earnest during the first half of Although he was never a formal apprentice, Lincoln may have been mentored by Stuart in his law studies.

New Salem resident William Greene stated that Stuart gave Lincoln "many explanations and elucidations" of law. After passing an oral examination by a panel of practicing attorneys, Lincoln received his law license on September 9, In April he was enrolled to practice before the Supreme Court of Illinois, and moved to Springfield, where he went into partnership with Stuart.

Lincoln's first session in the Illinois legislature ran from December 1,to February 13, As the second youngest legislator in this term, and one of thirty-six first-time attendees, Lincoln was primarily an observer, but his colleagues soon recognized his mastery of "the technical olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln of the law" and asked him to draft bills for them.

When Lincoln announced his bid for reelection in Junehe addressed the controversial issue of expanded suffrage. Democrats advocated universal suffrage for white males residing in the state for at least six months. They hoped to bring Irish immigrants, who were attracted to the state because of its canal projects, onto the voting rolls as Democrats.

Lincoln supported the traditional Whig position that voting should be limited to property owners. This delegation of two senators and seven representatives was nicknamed the "Long Nine" because all of them were above average height. Despite being the second youngest of the group, Lincoln was viewed as the group's leader and the floor leader of the Whig minority.

The Long Nine's primary agenda was the relocation of the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield and a vigorous program of internal improvements for the "olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln." By the — legislative session, Lincoln served on at least fourteen committees and worked behind the scenes to manage the program of the Whig minority.

Lincoln had published an inflammatory letter in the Sangamon Journala Springfield newspaper, that poked fun at Shields. Lincoln's future wife, Mary Todd, and her close friend, continued writing letters about Shields without Lincoln's knowledge. Shields took offense to the articles and demanded "satisfaction". The incident escalated to the two parties meeting on Missouri 's Sunflower Island, near Alton, Illinoisto participate in a duel, which was illegal in Illinois.

Lincoln took responsibility for the articles and accepted. Lincoln chose cavalry broadswords as the duel's weapons because Shields was known as an excellent marksman. Just prior to engaging in combat, Lincoln demonstrated his physical advantage his long arm reach by easily cutting a branch above Shields's head. Their seconds intervened and convinced the men to cease hostilities on the grounds that Lincoln had not written the letters.

The Illinois governor called for a special legislative session during the winter of — in order to finance what became known as the Illinois and Michigan Canalwhich connected the Illinois and Chicago rivers and linked Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. Lincoln voted in favor of the commitment, which passed 28— Lincoln had always supported Henry Clay's vision of the American System, which saw a prosperous America supported by a well-developed network of roads, canals, and, later, railroads.

Lincoln favored raising the funds for these projects through the federal government's sale of public lands to eliminate interest expenses; otherwise, private capital should bear the cost alone. Fearing that Illinois would fall behind other states in economic development, Lincoln shifted his position to allow the state to provide the necessary support for private developers.

In the next session a newly elected legislator, Stephen A. However, the Panic of effectively destroyed the possibility of more internal improvements in Illinois. The state became "littered with unfinished roads and partially dug canals"; the value of state bonds fell; and interest on the state's debts was eight times its total revenue. The state government took forty years to pay off this debt.

Lincoln had a couple of ideas to salvage the internal improvements program. First, he proposed that the state buy public lands at a discount from the federal government and then sell them to new settlers at a profit, but the federal government rejected the idea. Next, he proposed a graduated land tax that would have passed more of the tax burden to the owners of the most valuable land, but the majority of the legislators were unwilling to commit any further state funds to internal improvement projects.

The state's financial depression continued through In the s Illinois welcomed more immigrants, many from New York and New England, who tended to move into the northern and central parts of the state. Vandalia, which was located in the more stagnant southern section, seemed unsuitable as the state's seat of government. On the other hand, Springfield, in Sangamon County, was "strategically located in central Illinois" and was already growing "in population and refinement".

Those who opposed the relocation of the state government to Springfield first attempted to weaken the Sangamon County delegation's influence by dividing the county into two new counties, but Lincoln was instrumental in first amending and then killing this proposal in his own committee. Throughout the lengthy debate "Lincoln's political skills were repeatedly tested".

The final action was tabled twice, but Lincoln resurrected it by finding acceptable amendments to draw additional support, including one that would have allowed reconsideration in the next session. As other locations were voted down, Springfield was selected by a 46 to 37 vote margin on February 28, Under Lincoln's leadership reconsideration efforts were defeated in the — sessions.

Lincoln, like Henry Clay, favored federal control over the nation's banking system, but President Jackson had effectively killed the Bank of the United States by That same year Lincoln crossed party lines to vote with pro-bank Democrats in chartering the Illinois State Bank. As he did in the internal improvements debates, Lincoln searched for the best available alternative.

A well-regulated bank would provide a sound, elastic currency, protecting the public against the extreme prescriptions of the hard-money men on one side and the paper inflationists on the other; it would be a safe depository for public funds and provide the credit mechanisms needed to sustain state improvements; it would bring an end to extortionate money-lending.

Opponents of the state bank initiated an investigation designed to close the bank in the — legislative session. On January 11,Lincoln made his first major legislative speech supporting the bank and attacking its opponents. He condemned "that lawless and mobocratic spirit I make the assertion boldly, and without fear of contradiction, that no man, who does not hold an office, or does not aspire to one, has ever found any fault of the Bank.

It has doubled the prices of the products of their farms, and filled their pockets with a sound circulating medium, and they are all well pleased with its operations. Westerners in the Jacksonian Era were generally skeptical of all banks, and this was aggravated after the Panic ofwhen the Illinois Bank suspended specie payments. Lincoln still defended the bank, but it was too strongly linked to a failing credit system that lead to devalued currency and loan foreclosures to generate much political support.

In Democrats led another investigation of the state bank, with Lincoln as a Whig representative on the investigating committee. Lincoln was instrumental in the committee's conclusion that the suspension of specie payment was related to uncontrollable economic conditions rather than "any organic defects of the institutions themselves. In an attempt to avoid a quorum on adjournment, Lincoln and several others jumped out of a first story window, but the Speaker counted them as present and "the bank was killed.

He concluded, "If there was to be this continual warfare against the Institutions of the State In the s the slaveholding states began to take notice of the growth of antislavery rhetoric in the North. In particular, they were "outraged by the American Antislavery Society's pamphlets depicting slaveowners as cruel brutes". In Januarythe Illinois legislature passed a resolution declaring that they "highly disapprove of the formation of abolition societies", that "the right of property in slaves is sacred to the slave-holding States by the Federal Government, and that they cannot be deprived of that right without their consent", and that "the General Government cannot abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, against the will of the citizens of said District.

Because relocation of the state capital was still the number one issue on the two men's agendas, they made no comment on their votes until the relocation was approved. On March 3, with his other legislative priorities behind him, Lincoln filed a formal written protest with the legislature that stated "the institution of slavery is founded on both injustice and bad policy.

Infrom the start of the law partnership with Stuart, Lincoln handled most of the firms clients, while Stuart was primarily concerned with politics and election to the United States House of Representatives. The law practice had as many clients as it could handle. Most fees were five dollars, with the common fee ranging between two and a half dollars and ten dollars.

Olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln: Abraham Lincoln Over the

Lincoln quickly realized that he was equal in ability and effectiveness to most other attorneys, whether they were self-taught like Lincoln or had studied with a more experienced lawyer. Following Stuart's elected to Congress in NovemberLincoln ran the practice on his own. Lincoln, like Stuart, considered his legal career as simply a catalyst for his political ambitions.

However, when Stuart was reelected to Congress, Lincoln was no longer content to carry the entire load. In April he entered into a new partnership with Stephen T. Logan was nine years older than Lincoln, the leading attorney in Sangamon County, and a former attorney in Kentucky before he moved to Illinois. Logan saw Lincoln as a complement to his practice, recognizing that Lincoln's effectiveness with juries was superior to his own in that area.

Once again, clients were plentiful for the firm, although Lincoln received one-third of the firm's proceeds rather than the even split he had enjoyed with Stuart. Lincoln's association with Logan was a learning experience. He absorbed from Logan some of the finer points of law and the importance of proper and detailed case research and preparation.

Logan's written pleadings were precise and on point, and Lincoln used them as his model. However, much of Lincoln's development was still self-taught. Historian David Herbert Donald wrote that Logan taught him that "there was more to law than common sense and simple equity" and Lincoln's study began to focus on "procedures and precedents.

Lincoln's growing skills became evident as his appearances before the Supreme Court increased and would serve him well in his political career. By the time he went to Washington inLincoln had appeared over three hundred times before this court. Oates wrote, "It was here that he earned his reputation as a lawyer's lawyer, adept at meticulous preparation and cogent argument.

Lincoln's partnership with Logan was dissolved in the fall of when Logan entered into a partnership with his son. Lincoln, who probably could have had his choice of more established attorneys, was tired of being the junior partner and entered into a partnership with William Herndonwho had been reading law in the offices of Logan and Lincoln.

Herndon, like Lincoln, was an active Whig, but the party in Illinois at that time was split into two factions. Lincoln was connected to the older, "silk stocking" element of the party through his marriage to Mary Todd ; Herndon was one of the leaders of the younger, more populist portion of the party. The Lincoln-Herndon partnership continued through Lincoln's presidential election, and Lincoln remained a partner of record until his death.

Olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln: Ibikunle Amosun; his wife,

Before his partnership with Herndon, Lincoln had not regularly attended court in neighboring communities. This changed as Lincoln became one of the most active regulars on the circuit throughinterrupted only by his two-year stint in Congress. The Eighth Circuit covered 11, square miles 28, km 2. On the road, lawyers and judges lived in cheap hotels, with two lawyers to a bed; and six or eight men to a room.

Lincoln's reputation for integrity and fairness on the circuit led to him being in high demand both from clients and local attorneys who needed assistance. It was during his time riding the circuit that he picked up one of his lasting nicknames, "Honest Abe". The clients he represented, the men he rode the circuit with, and the lawyers he met along the way became some of Lincoln's most loyal political supporters.

Davis joined the circuit in as a judge and would occasionally appoint Lincoln to fill in for him. They traveled the circuit for eleven years, and Lincoln would eventually appoint him to the United States Supreme Court. Lamon, the only local attorney with whom Lincoln had a formal working agreement, accompanied Lincoln to Washington in Unlike other attorneys on the circuit, Lincoln did not supplement his income by engaging in real estate speculation or operating a business or a farm.

His income was generally what he earned practicing law. On his return from his single term in the U. House of Representatives, Lincoln turned down an offer of a partnership in a Chicago law firm. Lincoln was involved in at least two cases involving slavery. In an Illinois Supreme Court case, Bailey v. CromwellLincoln successfully prevented the sale of a woman who was alleged to be a slave, making the argument that in Illinois "the olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln of law was Matson brought slaves from his Kentucky plantation to work on land he owned in Illinois.

In this case, Lincoln invoked the right of transit, which allowed slaveholders to take their slaves temporarily into free territory. Lincoln also stressed that Matson did not intend to have the slaves remain permanently in Illinois. Even with these arguments, judges in Coles County ruled against Lincoln, and the slaves were set free.

Railroads became an important economic force in Illinois in the s. As they expanded they created myriad legal issues regarding "charters and franchises; problems relating to right-of-way; problems concerning evaluation and taxation; problems relating to the olufunso amosun biographies of abraham lincoln of common carriers and the rights of passengers; problems concerning merger, consolidation, and receivership.

Like the slave cases, sometimes Lincoln would represent the railroads and sometimes he would represent their adversaries. He had no legal or political agenda that was reflected in his choice of clients. Herndon referred to Lincoln as "purely and entirely a case lawyer. Barret, a shareholder. Barret refused to pay the balance on his pledge to the railroad on the grounds that it had changed its originally planned route.

Lincoln argued that as a matter of law, a corporation is not bound by its original charter when that charter can be amended in the public interest. Lincoln also argued that the newer route proposed by Alton and Sangamon was superior and less expensive, and accordingly, the corporation had a right to sue Barret for his delinquent payment.

Lincoln won this case and the Illinois Supreme Court decision was eventually cited by other U. The most important civil case for Lincoln was the landmark Hurd v. America's expansion west, which Lincoln strongly supported, was seen as an economic threat to the river trade, which ran north-to-south, primarily along the Mississippi River.

It was the first railroad bridge to span the Mississippi River. The steamboat owner sued for damages, claiming the bridge was a hazard to navigation, but Lincoln argued in court for the railroad and won, removing a costly impediment to western expansion by establishing the right of land routes to bridge waterways. Criminal law made up a small part of Lincoln and Herndon's casework.

William "Duff" Armstrong had been charged with murder. The case became famous for Lincoln's use of judicial notice —a rare tactic at that time—to show that an eyewitness had lied on the stand. After the witness testified to having seen the crime by moonlight, Lincoln produced a Farmers' Almanac to show that the moon on that date was at such a low angle it could not have provided enough illumination to see anything clearly.

Based almost entirely on this evidence, Armstrong was acquitted. From Bergen's recollection, the prosecution had objected upon Lincoln's demonstration from the almanac and compared it to an almanac in their possession, only to find that Lincoln's was genuine. Lincoln was involved in more than 5, cases in Illinois alone during his year legal career.

Though many of these cases involved little more than filing a writ, others were more substantial and quite involved. As a member of the Illinois state legislature, Lincoln supported the Whig politics of government-sponsored infrastructure and protective tariffs. This political understanding led him to formulate his early views on slavery, not so much as a moral wrong, but as an impediment to economic development.

InCongress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Actwhich repealed the Missouri Compromiseallowing individual states and territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. Lincoln joined the Republican Party in Inthe Supreme Court issued its controversial Dred Scott decision, declaring Black people were not citizens and had no inherent rights.

Lincoln decided to challenge sitting U. Senator Stephen Douglas for his seat. Senate campaign against Douglas, he participated in seven debates held in different cities across Illinois. But the central issue was slavery. Newspapers intensely covered the debates, often times with partisan commentary. In the end, the state legislature elected Douglas, but the exposure vaulted Lincoln into national politics.

With his newly enhanced political profile, inpolitical operatives in Illinois organized a campaign to support Lincoln for the presidency. Chase of Ohio. In the November general election, Lincoln faced his friend and rival Stephen Douglas, this time besting him in a four-way race that included John C. Lincoln received not quite 40 percent of the popular vote but carried of Electoral College votes, thus winning the U.

He grew his trademark beard after his election. Following his election to the presidency inLincoln selected a strong cabinet composed of many of his political rivals, including William Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Edwin Stanton. In the early morning hours of April 12,the guns stationed to protect the harbor blazed toward the fort, signaling the start of the U.

Crushing the rebellion would be difficult under any circumstances, but the Civil War, after decades of white-hot partisan politics, was especially onerous. From all directions, Lincoln faced disparagement and defiance. He was often at odds with his generals, his cabinet, his party, and a majority of the American people. On January 1,Lincoln delivered his official Emancipation Proclamationreshaping the cause of the Civil War from saving the Union to abolishing slavery.

And the Union victory at Antietam on September 22,while by no means conclusive, was hopeful. It gave Lincoln the confidence to officially change the goals of the war. On that same day, he issued a preliminary proclamation that slaves in states rebelling against the Union would be free as of January 1. In the far reaches of western Texas, that day finally came on June 19, —more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.

For decades, many Black Americans have celebrated this anniversary, known as Juneteenth or Emancipation Day, and inPresident Joe Biden made Juneteenth a national holiday. Still, the Emancipation Proclamation did have some immediate impact. It permitted Black Americans to serve in the Union Army for the first time, which contributed to the eventual Union victory.

The historic declaration also paved the way for the passage of the 13 th Amendment that ended legal slavery in the United States. On November 19,Lincoln delivered what would become his most famous speech and one of the most important speeches in American history: the Gettysburg Address. Pro-slavery elements in the South viewed his election as a threat to slavery, and Southern states began seceding from the nation.

They formed the Confederate States of America, which began seizing federal military bases in the South. A little over one month after Lincoln assumed the presidency, Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumtera U. Following the bombardment, Lincoln mobilized forces to suppress the rebellion and restore the union. Lincoln, a moderate Republicanhad to navigate a contentious array of factions with friends and opponents from both the Democratic and Republican parties.

He managed the factions by exploiting their mutual enmity, carefully distributing political patronage, and by appealing to the American people. Anti-war Democrats called " Copperheads " despised Lincoln, and some irreconcilable pro-Confederate elements went so far as to plot his assassination. His Gettysburg Address became one of the most famous speeches in American history.

Lincoln closely supervised the strategy and tactics in the war effort, including the selection of generals, and implemented a naval blockade of the South's trade. He suspended habeas corpus in Maryland and elsewhereand he averted war with Britain by defusing the Trent Affair. Inhe issued the Emancipation Proclamationwhich declared the slaves in the states "in rebellion" to be free.

It also directed the Army and Navy to "recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons" and to receive them "into the armed service of the United States. Constitutionwhich abolished slavery, except as punishment for a crime. Lincoln managed his own successful re-election campaign. He sought to heal the war-torn nation through reconciliation.

On April 14,just five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattoxhe was attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D. Lincoln is remembered as a martyr and a national hero for his wartime leadership and for his efforts to preserve the Union and abolish slavery. He is often ranked in both popular and scholarly polls as the greatest president in American history.

The family through subsequent generations migrated west, passing through New JerseyPennsylvaniaand Virginia. Lincoln's mother Nancy Lincoln is widely assumed to be the daughter of Lucy Hanks. Thomas Lincoln bought multiple farms in Kentucky, but could not get clear property titles to any, losing hundreds of acres of land in property disputes. Thomas and Nancy were members of a Separate Baptist Churchwhich "condemned profanity, intoxication, gossip, horse racing, and dancing.

Overcoming financial challenges, Thomas in obtained clear title to 80 acres 32 ha in Indiana, an area that became known as Little Pigeon Creek Community. On October 5,Nancy Lincoln died from milk sicknessleaving year-old Sarah in charge of a household including her father, nine-year-old Abraham, and Nancy's year-old orphan cousin, Dennis Hanks.

Lincoln was largely self-educated. It included two short stints in Kentucky, where he learned to read, but probably not to write. In Indiana at age seven, [ 32 ] due to farm chores, he attended school only sporadically, for a total of fewer than 12 months in aggregate by age When Lincoln was a teen, his "father grew more and more to depend on him for the 'farming, grubbing, hoeing, making fences' necessary to keep the family afloat.

He also regularly hired his son out to work He became county wrestling champion at the age of In Marchfearing another milk sickness outbreak, several members of the extended Lincoln family, including Abraham, moved west to Illinois, a free state, and settled in Macon County. Speculation persists that Lincoln's first romantic interest was Ann Rutledgewhom he met when he moved to New Salem.

However, witness testimony, given decades afterward, showed a lack of any specific recollection of a romance between the two. Lincoln sank into a serious episode of depression, and this gave rise to speculation that he had been in love with her. In the early s, he met Mary Owens from Kentucky. Owens arrived that November and he courted her; however, they both had second thoughts.

On August 16,he wrote Owens a letter saying he would not blame her if she ended the relationship, and she never replied. InLincoln met Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinoisand the following year they became engaged. Mary kept house with the help of a hired servant and a relative. Lincoln was an affectionate husband and father of four sons, though his work regularly kept him away from home.

The eldest, Robert Todd Lincolnwas born inand was the only child to live to maturity. Edward Baker Lincoln Eddieborn indied February 1,probably of tuberculosis. Lincoln's third son, "Willie" Lincolnwas born on December 21,and died of a fever at the White House on February 20, The youngest, Thomas "Tad" Lincolnwas born on April 4,and survived his father, but died of heart failure at age 18 on July 16, Lincoln "was remarkably fond of children" [ 60 ] and the Lincolns were not considered to be strict with their own.

Herndon would grow irritated when Lincoln brought his children to the law office. Their father, it seemed, was often too absorbed in his work to notice his children's behavior. Herndon recounted, "I have felt many and many a time that I wanted to wring their little necks, and yet out of respect for Lincoln I kept my mouth shut. Lincoln did not note what his children were doing or had done.

The deaths of their sons Eddie and Willie had profound effects on both parents. Lincoln suffered from " melancholy ", a condition now thought to be clinical depression. During andLincoln worked at a general store in New Salem, Illinois. Inhe declared his candidacy for the Illinois House of Representativesbut interrupted his campaign to serve as a captain in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War.

As licensed bartenders, Lincoln and Berry were able to sell spirits, including liquor, for 12 cents a pint. They offered a wide range of alcoholic beverages as well as food, including takeout dinners. But Berry became an alcoholic, was often too drunk to work, and Lincoln ended up running the store by himself. In his first campaign speech after returning from his military service, Lincoln observed a supporter in the crowd under attack, grabbed the assailant by his "neck and the seat of his trousers", and tossed him.

He could draw crowds as a raconteurbut lacked the requisite formal education, powerful friends, and money, and lost the election. Lincoln served as New Salem's postmaster and later as county surveyor, but continued his voracious reading and decided to become a lawyer. Lincoln's second state house campaign inthis time as a Whigwas a success over a powerful Whig opponent.

He was admitted to the Illinois bar on September 9,[ 76 ] [ 77 ] and moved to Springfield and began to practice law under John T. StuartMary Todd's cousin. He partnered several years with Stephen T. Loganand inbegan his practice with William Herndon"a studious young man".

Olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln: Abraham Lincoln Over the years,

On January 27,Abraham Lincoln, then 28 years old, delivered his first major speech at the Lyceum in Springfield, Illinoisafter the murder of newspaper editor Elijah Parish Lovejoy in Alton. Lincoln warned that no trans-Atlantic military giant could ever crush the U. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher", said Lincoln.

LouisMissouri. Zann Gill describes how these two murders set off a chain reaction that ultimately prompted Abraham Lincoln to run for President. True to his record, Lincoln professed to friends in to be "an old line Whig, a olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln of Henry Clay". InLincoln sought the Whig nomination for Illinois's 7th district seat in the U.

House of Representatives ; he was defeated by John J. Hardinthough he prevailed with the party in limiting Hardin to one term. Lincoln not only pulled off his strategy of gaining the nomination inbut also won the election. He was the only Whig in the Illinois delegation, but as dutiful as any participated in almost all votes and made speeches that toed the party line.

Giddings on a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia with compensation for the owners, enforcement to capture fugitive slaves, and a popular vote on the matter. He dropped the bill when it eluded Whig support. Polk 's desire for "military glory — that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood". Lincoln emphasized his opposition to Polk by drafting and introducing his Spot Resolutions.

The war had begun with a killing of American soldiers by Mexican cavalry patrol in disputed territory, and Polk insisted that Mexican soldiers had "invaded our territory and shed the blood of our fellow-citizens on our own soil". One Illinois newspaper derisively nicknamed him "spotty Lincoln". Lincoln had pledged in to serve only one term in the House.

Realizing Clay was unlikely to win the presidency, he supported General Zachary Taylor for the Whig nomination in the presidential election. In his Springfield practice, Lincoln handled "every kind of business that could come before a prairie lawyer". As a riverboat man, Lincoln initially favored those interests, but ultimately represented whoever hired him.

Rock Island Bridge Companya landmark olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln involving a canal boat that sank after hitting a bridge. The idea was never commercialized, but it made Lincoln the only president to hold a patent. Lincoln appeared before the Illinois Supreme Court in cases; he was sole counsel in 51 cases, of which 31 were decided in his favor.

After an opposing witness testified to seeing the crime in the moonlight, Lincoln produced a Farmers' Almanac showing the Moon was at a low angle, drastically reducing visibility. Armstrong was acquitted. In an murder case, leading up to his presidential campaign, Lincoln elevated his profile with his defense of Simeon Quinn "Peachy" Harrison, who was a third cousin; [ g ] Harrison was also the grandson of Lincoln's political opponent, Rev.

Peter Cartwright. Lincoln argued that the testimony involved a dying declaration and was not subject to the hearsay rule. Instead of holding Lincoln in contempt of court as expected, the judge, a Democrat, reversed his ruling and admitted the testimony into evidence, resulting in Harrison's acquittal. The debate over the status of slavery in the territories failed to alleviate tensions between the slave-holding South and the free North, with the failure of the Compromise ofa legislative package designed to address the issue.

Douglas proposed popular sovereignty as a compromise; the measure would allow the electorate of each territory to decide the status of slavery. The legislation alarmed many Northerners, who sought to prevent the spread of slavery that could result, but Douglas's Kansas—Nebraska Act narrowly passed Congress in May Lincoln did not "olufunso amosun biography of abraham lincoln" on the act until months later in his " Peoria Speech " of October Lincoln then declared his opposition to slavery, which he repeated en route to the presidency.

I cannot but hate it. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world Nationally, the Whigs were irreparably split by the Kansas—Nebraska Act and other efforts to compromise on the slavery issue. Reflecting on the demise of his party, Lincoln wrote in"I think I am a Whig, but others say there are no Whigs, and that I am an abolitionist.

I do no more than oppose the extension of slavery. InLincoln was elected to the Illinois legislature, but before the term began the following January he declined to take his seat so that he would be eligible to be a candidate in the upcoming U. Senate election. Lincoln instructed his backers to vote for Lyman Trumbull. Trumbull was an antislavery Democrat and had received few votes in the earlier ballots; his supporters, also antislavery Democrats, had vowed not to support any Whig.

Lincoln's decision to withdraw enabled his Whig supporters and Trumbull's antislavery Democrats to combine and defeat the mainstream Democratic candidate, Joel Aldrich Matteson. Violent political confrontations in Kansas continued, and opposition to the Kansas—Nebraska Act remained strong throughout the North. As the elections approached, Lincoln joined the Republicans and attended the Bloomington Conventionwhere the Illinois Republican Party was established.

The convention platform endorsed Congress's right to regulate slavery in the territories and backed the admission of Kansas as a free state. Lincoln gave the final speech of the convention supporting the party platform and called for the preservation of the Union. Dred Scott was a slave whose master took him from a slave state to a territory that was free as a result of the Missouri Compromise.

After Scott was returned to the slave state, he petitioned a federal court for his freedom. His petition was denied in Dred Scott v. Sandford Taney wrote that black people were not citizens and derived no rights from the Constitution, and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional for infringing upon slave owners' "property" rights. While many Democrats hoped that Dred Scott would end the dispute over slavery in the territories, the decision sparked further outrage in the North.

InDouglas was up for re-election in the U. Senate, and Lincoln hoped to defeat him. Many in the party felt that a former Whig should be nominated inand Lincoln's campaigning and support of Trumbull had earned him a favor. For the first time, Illinois Republicans held a convention to agree upon a Senate candidate, and Lincoln won the nomination with little opposition.

Lincoln accepted the nomination with great enthusiasm and zeal. After his nomination he delivered his House Divided Speechwith the biblical reference Mark"A house divided against itself cannot stand. 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.

It will become all one thing, or all the other. The Senate campaign featured seven debates between Lincoln and Douglas. These were the most famous political debates in American history; they had an atmosphere akin to a prizefight and drew crowds in the thousands. Lincoln warned that the Slave Power was threatening the values of republicanism, and he accused Douglas of distorting the Founding Fathers' premise that all men are created equal.

In his Freeport DoctrineDouglas argued that, despite the Dred Scott decision, which he claimed to support, [ ] local settlers, under the doctrine of popular sovereigntyshould be free to choose whether to allow slavery within their territory, and he accused Lincoln of having joined the abolitionists. Douglas's argument was more legal in nature, claiming that Lincoln was defying the authority of the U.

Supreme Court as exercised in the Dred Scott decision. Though the Republican legislative candidates won more popular votes, the Democrats won more seats, and the legislature re-elected Douglas. However, Lincoln's articulation of the issues had given him a national political presence. SewardSalmon P. ChaseEdward Batesand Simon Cameron. While Lincoln was popular in the Midwest, he lacked support in the Northeast and was unsure whether to seek the office.

Over the coming months Lincoln was tireless, making nearly fifty speeches along the campaign trail. By the quality and simplicity of his rhetoric, he quickly became the champion of the Republican party. However, despite his overwhelming support in the Midwestern United Stateshe was less appreciated in the east. Horace Greeleyeditor of the New York Tribune, at that time wrote up an unflattering account of Lincoln's compromising position on slavery and his reluctance to challenge the court's Dred Scott ruling, which was promptly used against him by his political rivals.

On February 27,powerful New York Republicans invited Lincoln to give a speech at Cooper Unionin which he argued that the Founding Fathers of the United States had little use for popular sovereignty and had repeatedly sought to restrict slavery. He insisted that morality required opposition to slavery and rejected any "groping for some middle ground between the right and the wrong".

Journalist Noah Brooks reported, "No man ever before made such an impression on his first appeal to a New York audience". Historian David Herbert Donald described the speech as "a superb political move for an unannounced presidential aspirant. Appearing in Seward's home state, sponsored by a group largely loyal to Chase, Lincoln shrewdly made no reference to either of these Republican rivals for the nomination.

At times he was presented as the plain-talking "Rail Splitter" and at other times he was "Honest Abe", unpolished but trustworthy. On May 18 at the Republican National Convention in Chicago, Lincoln won the nomination on the third ballot, beating candidates such as Seward and Chase. A former Democrat, Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, was nominated for vice president to balance the ticket.

Lincoln's success depended on his campaign team, his reputation as a moderate on the slavery issue, and his strong support for internal improvements and the tariff. As the Slave Power tightened its grip on the national government, most Republicans agreed with Lincoln that the North was the aggrieved party. Throughout the s, Lincoln had doubted the prospects of civil war, and his supporters rejected claims that his election would incite secession.

Breckinridge as their candidate. Lincoln and Douglas competed for votes in the North, while Bell and Breckinridge primarily found support in the South. Before the Republican convention, the Lincoln campaign began cultivating a nationwide youth organization, the Wide Awakeswhich it used to generate popular support throughout the country to spearhead voter registration drives, thinking that new voters and young voters tended to embrace new parties.

As Douglas and the other candidates campaigned, Lincoln gave no speeches, relying on the enthusiasm of the Republican Party. The party did the leg work that produced majorities across the North and produced an abundance of campaign posters, leaflets, and newspaper editorials. Republican speakers focused first on the party platform, and second on Lincoln's life story, emphasizing his childhood poverty.

The goal was to demonstrate the power of "free labor", which allowed a common farm boy to work his way to the top by his own efforts. In the runup to the election, he took an office in the Illinois state capitol to deal with the influx of attention. He also hired John George Nicolay as his personal secretary, who would remain in that role during the presidency.

On November 6,Lincoln was elected the 16th president. He was the first Republican president and his victory was entirely due to his support in the North and West. No ballots were cast for him in 10 of the 15 Southern slave states, and he won only two of counties in all the Southern states, an omen of the impending Civil War. The South was outraged by Lincoln's election, and in response secessionists implemented plans to leave the Union before he took office in March Attempts at compromise followed but Lincoln and the Republicans rejected the proposed Crittenden Compromise as contrary to the Party's platform of free-soil in the territories.

Lincoln supported the Corwin Amendment to the U. Constitutionwhich passed Congress and was awaiting ratification by the states when Lincoln took office. That doomed amendment would have protected slavery in states where it already existed. On February 11,Lincoln gave a particularly emotional farewell address upon leaving Springfield; he would never again return to Springfield alive.

Due to secessionist plots, unprecedented attention to security was given to him and his train. En route to his inauguration, Lincoln addressed crowds and legislatures across the North. He traveled in disguise, wearing a soft felt hat instead of his customary stovepipe hat and draping an overcoat over his shoulders while hunching slightly to conceal his height.

His friend Congressman Elihu B. Washburne recognized him on the platform upon arrival and loudly called out to him. Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States, that by the accession of a Republican Administration, their property, and their peace, and personal security, are to be endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension.

Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed, and been open to their inspection. It is found in nearly all the published speeches of him who now addresses you. I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists.

I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so. Lincoln cited his plans for banning the expansion of slavery as the key source of conflict between North and South, stating "One section of our country believes slavery is right and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong and ought not to be extended.

This is the only substantial dispute. We must not be enemies The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. By Marchno leaders of the insurrection had proposed rejoining the Union on any terms.

Meanwhile, Lincoln and the Republican leadership agreed that the dismantling of the Union could not be tolerated. Major Robert Andersoncommander of the Union's Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, sent a request for provisions to Washington, and Lincoln's order to meet that request was seen by the secessionists as an act of war. Historian Allan Nevins argued that the newly inaugurated Lincoln made three miscalculations: underestimating the gravity of the crisis, exaggerating the strength of Unionist sentiment in the South, and overlooking Southern Unionist opposition to an invasion.

William Tecumseh Sherman talked to Lincoln during inauguration week and was "sadly disappointed" at his failure to realize that "the country was sleeping on a volcano" and that the South was preparing for war. But he had also vowed not to surrender the forts The only resolution of these contradictory positions was for the Confederates to fire the first shot".

They did just that. On April 15, Lincoln called on the states to send a total of 75, volunteer troops to recapture forts, protect Washington, and "preserve the Union", which, in his view, remained intact despite the seceding states. This call forced states to choose sides. Virginia seceded and was rewarded with the designation of Richmond as the Confederate capital, despite its exposure to Union lines.

North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas followed over the following two months. Secession sentiment was strong in Missouri and Maryland, but did not prevail; Kentucky remained neutral. As states sent Union regiments south, on April 19 Baltimore mobs in control of the rail links attacked Union troops who were changing trains. Local leaders' groups later burned critical rail bridges to the capital and the Army responded by arresting local Maryland officials.

Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus in an effort to protect the troops trying to reach Washington. Taney to issue a writ of habeas corpus. In June, in Ex parte MerrymanTaney, not ruling on behalf of the Supreme Court, [ ] issued the writ, believing that Article I, section 9 of the Constitution authorized only Congress and not the president to suspend it.

But Lincoln invoked nonacquiescence and persisted with the policy of suspension in select areas. Lincoln took executive control of the war and shaped the Union military strategy. He responded to the unprecedented political and military crisis as commander-in-chief by exercising unprecedented authority. He expanded his war powers, imposed a blockade on Confederate ports, disbursed funds before appropriation by Congress, suspended habeas corpusand arrested and imprisoned thousands of suspected Confederate sympathizers.

Lincoln gained the support of Congress and the northern public for these actions. Lincoln also had to reinforce Union sympathies in the border slave states and keep the war from becoming an international conflict. It was clear from the outset that bipartisan support was essential to success, and that any compromise alienated factions on both sides of the aisle, such as the appointment of Republicans and Democrats to command positions.

Copperheads criticized Lincoln for refusing to compromise on slavery. The Radical Republicans criticized him for moving too slowly in abolishing slavery. The law had little practical effect, but it signaled political support for abolishing slavery. In AugustGeneral John C. Internationally, Lincoln wanted to forestall foreign military aid to the Confederacy.

Navy illegally intercepted a British mail ship, the Trenton the high seas and seized two Confederate envoys; Britain protested vehemently while the U. Lincoln ended the crisis by releasing the two diplomats. Biographer James G. Randall dissected Lincoln's successful techniques: [ ]. Lincoln painstakingly monitored the telegraph reports coming into the War Department.

He tracked all phases of the effort, consulting with governors and selecting generals based on their success, their state, and their party. He worked more often and more closely with Lincoln than did any other senior official. Lincoln's war strategy had two priorities: ensuring that Washington was well-defended and conducting an aggressive war effort for a prompt, decisive victory.

Occasionally Mary prevailed on him to take a carriage ride, concerned that he was working too hard. Lincoln began to appreciate the critical need to control strategic points, such as the Mississippi River. In directing the Union's war strategy, Lincoln valued the advice of Gen. On June 23—24,Lincoln made an unannounced visit to West Pointwhere he spent five hours consulting with Scott regarding the handling of the Civil War and the staffing of the War Department.

McClellan general-in-chief. McClellan's slow progress frustrated Lincoln, as did his position that no troops were needed to defend Washington. McClellan, in turn, blamed the failure of the campaign on Lincoln's reservation of troops for the capital. InLincoln removed McClellan for the general's continued inaction. Despite his dissatisfaction with McClellan's failure to reinforce Pope, Lincoln restored him to command of all forces around Washington.

McClellan then resisted the president's demand that he pursue Lee's withdrawing army, while General Don Carlos Buell likewise refused orders to move the Army of the Ohio against rebel forces in eastern Tennessee. The appointments were both politically neutral and adroit on Lincoln's part. Against presidential advice Burnside launched an offensive across the Rappahannock River and was defeated by Lee at Fredericksburg in December.

Desertions during came in the thousands and only increased after Fredericksburg, so Lincoln replaced Burnside with Joseph Hooker. In the midterm elections, the Republicans suffered severe losses due to rising inflation, high taxes, rumors of corruption, suspension of habeas corpusmilitary draft lawand fears that freed slaves would come North and undermine the labor market.

The Emancipation Proclamation gained votes for Republicans in rural New England and the upper Midwest, but cost votes in the Irish and German strongholds and in the lower Midwest, where many Southerners had lived for generations. In the spring ofLincoln was sufficiently optimistic about upcoming military campaigns to think the end of the war could be near; the plans included attacks by Hooker on Lee north of Richmond, Rosecrans on Chattanooga, Grant on Vicksburg, and a naval assault on Charleston.

At the same time, Grant captured Vicksburg and gained control of the Mississippi River, splitting the far western rebel states. The federal government's power to end slavery was limited by the Constitution, which beforewas understood to reserve the issue to the individual states. Lincoln believed that slavery would be rendered obsolete if its expansion into new territories were prevented, because these territories would be admitted to the Union as free states, and free states would come to outnumber slave states.

He sought to persuade the states to agree to compensation for emancipating their slaves. In JuneCongress passed an act banning slavery on all federal territory, which Lincoln signed. In July, the Confiscation Act of was enacted, providing court procedures to free the slaves of those convicted of aiding the rebellion; Lincoln approved the bill despite his belief that it was unconstitutional.

He felt such action could be taken only within the war powers of the commander-in-chief, which he planned to exercise. On July 22,Lincoln reviewed a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation with his cabinet. His victory provoked a crisis, with many southerners fearing that he would attempt to abolish slavery in the South. Seven southern states left the Union to form the Confederate States of America, also known as the Confederacy.

Four more joined later. Lincoln vowed to preserve the Union even if it meant war. Fighting broke out in April Lincoln always defined the Civil War as a struggle to save the Union, but in January he nonetheless issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves in areas still under Confederate control. This was an important symbolic gesture that identified the Union's struggle as a war to end slavery.

In the effort to win the war, Lincoln assumed more power than any president before him, declaring martial law and suspending legal rights.