Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War– preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and promoting economic and financial modernization.

I have chosen to do my thesis paper on Abraham Lincoln because I wanted to learn about someone interesting that left a huge mark on world history. I also believe that during this period when my character and personality begin to form and stabilize such information is beneficial. The courage this man had and the perseverance in reaching his goals is one that I admire and look up to and would one day like to embody. 

Chapter 1 is a short biography of Abraham Lincoln. He was born in Hardin County, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. Abraham's wife was Mary Todd. They were married on November 4, 1842. They had together four children: Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. But Edward died shortly before his fourth birthday, William died in the White House of typhoid at only age eleven, and also son Thomas died in 1871 at age eighteen just before adulthood. Robert was the only child of the Lincolns to live past the age of 18. The death of their sons had profound effects on both parents. 

The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln is outlined in Chapter 2. The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln was dominated by the Civil War. Despite his limited military background, Lincoln became a strong military leader, directing the actions of the Union.

Lincoln amassed considerable executive power- proclaiming a blockade and suspending habeas corpus. All of this was done to "Preserve the Union". After his re-election, as the war drew towards a successful conclusion, Lincoln remained committed to reconciliation with the South. 

Chapter 3 focuses on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at the Ford Theater on April 14, 1865. Lincoln never regained consciousness and passed away at 7:22 A.M. on the morning of April 15, 1865, at the Petersen House (across the street from the theater).

The last Chapter comprises Lincoln's legacy. The legacy of executive authority did not last beyond his death, and over the next forty years both Congress and the courts overshadowed the White House in power and influence. Still, the most lasting accomplishments attributed to Lincoln are the preservation of the Union, the vindication of democracy, and the death of slavery, all accomplished by the ways in which he handled the crisis that most certainly would have ended differently with a lesser man in office. His great achievement, historians tell us, was his ability to energize and mobilize the nation by appealing to its best ideals while acting "with malice towards none" in the pursuit of a more perfect, more just, and more enduring Union. No President in American history ever faced a greater crisis and no President ever accomplished as much.

In conclusion I would like to emphasize that not many presidents could be mindlessly passed off as heroes; there are a few truly heroic presidents. Among them, Abraham Lincoln stands tall. In 1861, when Lincoln was elected to office, the situations of the time called for a hero, and Lincoln stepped up and with this paper I would like to share his journey.