Abraham Lincoln

Essay by pv80 December 2003

download word file, 7 pages 5.0

His face is seen on places such as the American penny and dollar bills. Almost every American can tell you who he was and what his famous contributions were as president. The man is Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States of America. He was the famous leader during the historic Civil War from 1860 to his assassination in 1865. Abraham Lincoln was a great American leader for the time. His leadership to preserve the Union was remarkable, the proclamations and military commands he made were brilliant, and his amazing speaking power is a quality all great speakers have. Lincoln's fame probably surpasses all other leaders in American history.

When the Civil War broke out he held the country together at all costs. During the war, trying to save the Union tested his leadership abilities. He worked constantly, eighteen hours a day that left little time for other aspects of his life.

Although he hated warfare, when the new Confederate States of America was formed it left him no choice but to declare war on the south in order to put the country back together. His biggest and most important goal in his presidency was to preserve the Union that he led so completely and greatly. It is shown in this quote from Lincoln: " My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some slaves and leaving others alone I would also do that." In fact when the construction of the dome on the Whitehouse was being...