On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the sixteenth President of the United States. Many states tried to break away from the Union after Lincoln was elected because the South was afraid Lincoln would end slavery. However, Lincoln first encouraged the North to go to war with the South not to end slavery, but to reunite the nation.

Eleven states from the South broke away from the Union in 1860 and 1861, forming the Confederacy. The South broke away from the North because they thought Lincoln would free their slaves. The slaves farmed for the Southerners and made it possible for whites to join the Southern army. This did not help the North because it made the South stronger.

Lincoln’s view of slavery was the same as the abolitionists. Lincoln once said, "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." He was afraid, though, that if he made a proclamation freeing Southern slaves, then the border states would also break away from the Union.

In July 1862, Congress decided to pass a law freeing all Confederate slaves who came to the North. This way, the former slaves could join the Union Army. Lincoln decided not to put this law into effect until the Union’s military had a victory. He was afraid people might think the new law was a last desperate attempt to win the war. Finally, on September 17, 1862, the wait was over. The Union had a military victory. It wasn’t big, but it happened. At the Battle of Antietam, the Union’s General, George B. McClellan, stopped the Confederate General, Robert E. Lee’s, attack on the North. President Lincoln then signed the law.

Approximately 500,000 slaves ran away after the law was passed and about 200,000 black men joined the Union Army. The North’s war effort was reinforced by the escaped slaves. The North had more people fighting on their side, weakening the South’s position. The Southerners would have fewer slaves to do their work while they were fighting against the North.

President Lincoln warned the states of the Confederacy on September 22, 1862, that if they did not return to the Union, their slaves would be freed forever. In his famous Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln announced that all slaves in the Confederate States would be freed on January 1, 1863. Did this proclamation actually free the slaves? No, the Emancipation Proclamation only affected the slaves in the Confederate States. Because Lincoln did not have control of the Confederacy at the time the Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect, no slaves were actually freed at the time. Slaves would only be freed if the seceded Southern states were defeated and rejoined the Union.

The Emancipation Proclamation hurt the South because it discouraged France and Britain from entering the war. These countries depended on the South for cotton, so the South hoped they would fight on their side. When the proclamation made the war about slavery, the French and British turned to the Union’s side because most of their people were against slavery.

Lincoln addressed a crowd outside the White House, on April 9, 1864. That day he suggested that he would vote for Blacks’ rights among other things. John Wilkes Booth was in the crowd, and this made him very angry. He was furious because he was a racist and did not believe Blacks should have rights.

Lincoln attended a play on April 4, 1865 called "Our American Cousins" at the Ford Theatre. Wilkes Booth came to the theatre that night. He came from behind President Lincoln and shot him in the back of the head. Lincoln lived a short life. He was only 56 when he died.

Abraham Lincoln died a hero and faced some of the most difficult problems any president ever had to handle. When the U.S. gained control of the Confederacy, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation eventually helped end slavery. When the Civil War ended on May 26, 1865, it led to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. This freed the slaves because then the North gained control over the South and could make their slaves free. Lincoln kept the country together by leading it through the Civil War and he helped free slaves after defeating the South.

Bibliography

McPherson, James. "Emancipation Proclamation." World Book Encyclopedia, 2001.

Melissa, Jon, Becca, Matt, and Stephanie. "Abraham Lincoln." Free at Last, The Civil Rights Movement in the United States. "Abraham Lincoln. (http://library.org/J0112391/abraham_lincoln.htm) Last Visited: 2/8/02.

Jahn, Raymond Hoyt. "Lincoln, Abraham." World Book Encyclopedia, 2001.