Abraham Lincoln and Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Abraham Lincoln and Slavery - Essay Example Undoubtedly, Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the most prominent and remarkable president in the America’s history. He lived between February 12, 1809 and April 15, 1865. He was the 16th president of the United States. He served as president from March 1861 until 1865 when he was assassinated. The reason why he is considered the most important president in America’s history is the fact that he led the country through major military, moral, and constitutional crisis - the American Civil War. During his presidency period through this crisis, he was able to end slavery, promote financial and economic modernization, and preserve the Union. 1 Lincoln was brought up in a poor family after his father, Thomas Lincoln, had lost his land through court cases, having been accused of possessing property titles which were faulty. Lincoln, therefore, did not enjoy most of the luxuries that were enjoyed by children from relatively rich family; luxuries such as quality education, go od-conditioned housing, and descent meals among others. Regarding Lincoln’s education, it is approximated that he spent only one-year worth of classes in his formal elementary; most of education he received from various itinerant teachers. It is worth pointing out that he was an avid reader and he acquired most of his knowledge through self-education.2 He eventually became a country lawyer, legislator of Illinois State, and the US House of Representatives member for one term, but he failed twice in his attempt to capture US Senate seat. Lincoln married Mary Todd on November 4, 1842 and got two children, namely Robert and Edward. His political career began on March 1832 with his first campaign for a post in the Illinois General Assembly. Lincoln had professed in 1861 that he had been a steadfast Whig; Whig was a party that subscribed to the ideas of espoused urbanization, protective tariffs in order to fund internal developments, and economic modernization. His beliefs in Whig ’s ideology informed most of his political decisions especially concerning America’s economic growth and development.3 Besides, he favoured unification of the US nation and opposed slavery and its expansion in the US. Therefore, the questions of how and why Lincoln’s ideas about slavery evolved are considered in this paper; besides, it tackles his ideas about Blacks and the institution of slavery. It seems to nearly every person who knows about Abraham Lincoln that his belief on slavery and race was well-defined and firm. It is a well-documented fact that Lincoln was against slavery and racism in period prior to his presidency and after. However, what still puzzles historians, political scientists, and other individuals concerned with Lincoln’s history and issues to do with slavery is whether his fight against the aforementioned issues was because of him being a politician or a leader. Until 1850s, slavery was legal in the southern US but had been outlawe d in the northern states like Illinois. Lincoln was opposed to slavery and its spread, especially to the new territory of western states. As a young person, Lincoln had little knowledge on slavery that was dominant in the south because he had seen little of it as a child. As he grew older, his stance on slavery developed because of what he witnessed and experienced. Lincoln’s marriage to Mary Told contributed greatly to his developed stance on the slavery issue since Mary had had first-hand contact with slavery as she came from a slave- owning family; she, therefore, narrated to him slavery stories.4 In addition, having had a career as an attorney provided him with experience on slavery issue.5 He handled several slavery cases, the most notable being Bailey v. Cromwell and Matson