"A blunder ought never be perpetrated to avoid war, because it is not to be avoided, but is only deferred to your disadvantage." These words are in the writings of the great author Machevelli. His writings reflected his views on how to successfully rule a nation. Many historians look down upon Machavelli because he seemed to support tyranny. However, this teachings and philosophies of this man were embraced by who is considered to be the greatest president out country has ever had: Abraham Lincoln.
One of the primary reasons for the Civil War was the election of Abe Lincoln. The South saw him as a threat to their ways of life and seceded. Because he had in essence started a war, Lincoln held the responsibility to show the north that they shouldn't be sorry that they elected him. Lincoln was able to exhibit both militaristic and emotional leadership.
English: Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President ...
A political cartoon of Andrew Johnson and Abraham ...
Abraham Lincoln, three-quarter length portrait, se...Lincoln was able to rally the troops of the north. Since this war was a clear uphill battle for the north, the moral needed to be at a relentless high or the war would have proven to be a disaster. Without Lincoln's leadership and willingness to continue fighting, the north would have no doubt given up and lost the war.
Lincoln also did something no other president had done; he, in a sense, modified the constitution to fit his needs as a president in a time of war. He committed many acts that were in fact illegal for a president to do under the Constitution. He enforced many of his own decisions without the needed consent of Congress. He summoned the militia, expanded the army beyond its legal limit, and directed government expenditures. Most notably, Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus so that the Union could hold prisoners without reason. Many of...