11年級作業(yè)“Lincoln and Republican Party ”.doc

Deng13本文檔為11年級學(xué)生作業(yè)，僅供參考，有少許錯誤Alexandra DengMs. SkacanU.S. History 9 March 2016Lincoln and Republican PartyKnown as one of the greatest presidents of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, shaped the nation in his image, leaving benefits to people. Once had been a self-educated lawyer, a Whig Party leader, and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and then of the United States House of Representatives, Lincoln led the building of the new Republican Party. During his presidency, the Civil War burst. Fought from 1861 to 1865, the Civil War, of which the cause was whether slavery should be approved or abolished, was crucial to the survival of the Union or independence of the Confederacy. Lincoln effectively handled both political and military conflicts in the nation. With thorough consideration, he selected his cabinet, managed a “team of rivals”, sufficiently applying their abilities to contribute the nation; as the Commander in Chief, he managed various generals and soldiers, visiting the battlefield in person; also, he played a significant role in the foreign affairs, kept Britain out of war, avoiding unnecessary troubles; affluent experience of a lawyer enabled him to deal with various acts such as the Martial Law and his questions about the writ of habeas corpus, and to convince his naysayers from different walks of lives. Simultaneously. remarkable financial policies, among which the most impactful ones were the Revenue Acts and the prevail of national paper currency, were proposed to Lincoln and passed by Lincoln; to expand the advantages, Lincoln and the government passed and enacted the Pacific Rail Acts, Morrill Land Grant Act and Homestead Act, which also created new opportunities for the people while the devastating war was going on. Towards the main reason that triggered the war-slavery, Lincoln signed the Confiscation Acts and Emancipation Proclamation into law, and then his aim-abolition of slavery was achieved with the pass and ratification of the 13th Amendment. Ardently did Lincoln devote to protecting the rights of people regardless of color, and thats why he initiated the Freedmens Bureau. All Lincoln did helped the nation to seize the victory not only in the war but also in the successful transformation from having slaves to freeing slaves, from parted to united. Every person who changes and promotes the society are mighty and honorable. Therefore, with his extraordinary leadership, Abraham Lincoln guided the United States through the Civil War to preserve the Union, to modernize the economy while incentivizing settlement in the west, and to abolish slavery, positively impacting the future for all citizens.Very outstanding and influential, Abraham Lincoln had a divine gift of leadership, which he adequately exploited in the nations politic issues. Like every great leader, Lincoln comprehended people-characters, talents, desires, etc., in a distinct way, so he was able to communicate with people who supported him or even opposed him successfully and let them function in the nation. Elected to be the President of the United States, Lincoln started constructing his cabinet on his election night. Surprised to many people, Lincoln offered William Seward, a strong-minded republican who had been his main political rival, the position of the Secretary of State because Seward was considered as a centrist, one who supported to a degree of equal opportunity and economic freedom, and thus he would campaign for abolition, which Lincoln knew. Despite doubts and suspension from both Seward himself and the public, Seward accepted the position when Lincoln convinced him that he would have a proper role in the distribution of patronage, after 20 days Lincoln gave the offer. (“Cabinets and Vice Presidents”) For the position of the Secretary of Treasury, Lincoln chose Salmon P. Chase, Sewards rival, was a supporter for free soil. Lincoln selected some members from vital states, too. He offered Edward Bates, his rival, a southerner from Missouri, the position of the Attorney General; and he selected Montgomery Blair, from Maryland, one of the Border States, to be the Postmaster General. So, Unlike many leaders who feared opposers and kept only supporters around but eventually led to inefficient operation, Lincoln did not repeal too much concern about rivals, and he even picked a “team of rivals” in order to run the government better and benefit people, which also showed that Lincoln was adept at accepting various ideas, but more essentially, he was able to accumulate those who were so capable around him. His decision was proved to be very wise, since those who he chose did come up with terrific ideas and plans that contributed to many facets of the nations system. For example, To cope with the border states, as the Commander-in-Chief, Lincoln addressed 2 other major achievements, which were the Martial Law and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. During the Civil War, under the leadership of President Lincoln, the government excessed great power. In order to keep Kentucky, one of the border states, Lincoln put it under Martial Law, which meant the state was ruled by military leaders under special situations; he proclaimed a blockade. In 1863, due to his suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, Lincoln signed the Habeas Corpus Suspension Act into law. In fact, the bill was already introduced in 1862 in the House of Representatives but was not yet enacted. Among the members in his cabinet, Bates, the Attorney General, helped him implement the arbitrary arrest for he thought that it was worth trying if it was possible to bring success. Without congress agreement, Lincoln then spent money and imprisoned 18000 suspected Confederates without trials, which none of the former presidents had ever done at his time. ( Dueholm 1) The wise decisions of Lincoln maintained and strengthened the Unions power, further helped the Union go on the pathway to victory. Meanwhile, Lincoln triumphantly dealt with foreign affairs. For instance, in 1861, when Union Captain Charles Wilkes commanded the USS San Jacinto to intercept the British mail packet RMS Trent as contraband of war, the Confederate tried to use this case to win support and recognition from Britain. However, Lincoln and his cabinet member especially Seward wanted to avoid risk, and thus they released the packets captured and punished Captain Wilkes, and the problem was then solved and the Confederate failed to be recognized. This was known as the Trent Affair. Thanks to the significant diplomatic skills of Secretary Seward and President Lincoln, every nation kept neutral during the Civil War and did not regard the Confederacy as independent country while it sought for foreign support. In a word, with his extraordinary leadership, knowing people well and dealing with problems decisively, Lincoln guided the Union to victory by having a well-functioned government, making right choices, and fully using his power. Unquestionably, President Lincoln transformed world history with his political and wartime legacy, not only that but also did he focused on economic policies that stimulated the economy overtime and financed the Union in war. On one hand, his plans stimulated settlement in the west. Before becoming the president, Lincoln believed the government should be used to have a good effect and enable people to develop their freedom, their future, and their nation, and he claimed the government should support business and labor. With his influential impact in the Republican Party, which consisted a main group in the government, Lincoln advocated support in building canals, railroads, and other facilities that could develop the economy and expand their advantages. In 1862, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862, which was about the government aiding the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, into law. The Act had extensive land grants of 10 miles square of public land for every mile of railroad built and issuance of government bond to the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad, which were two big companies that were responsible for the transcontinental railroad. ( Lehrman ) The expansion of railroad secured the governments use of postal offices, military, and other business, so it also provided new avenues for migration since people wanted job opportunities and money, and thus it supported the Union during and after the war. In the same year, the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 was signed into law by President Lincoln. The Act gave state governments million of acres of western lands where they could sell to raise money for building colleges specializing in agriculture or mechanical arts. For example, Iowa accepted the terms and provided funds for the State Agricultural College and Model Farm, later named Iowa State University of Science and Technology. Actually, except for Cornell University, University of Delaware, and MIT, which were also built under the Act, most Land-Grant Colleges were public. So the Act not only created education opportunities for people but also acquired massive endowment. It still affected the nation after the war, which meant the Act was extended to former Confederate states. Also, President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862, opened up millions of acres to any adult that had not fought against the national government, and women, African Americans, and immigrants were also qualified. The Act created more than 372000 farms, which played an important role in supplying the Union in war. (Lehrman ) Later in the next year, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act of 1863, which allowed transfer of cars and facilitated trackage rights between other companies, so it was extremely advantageous, too. To the enlarging population and demands, Lincoln used the way that expanded the total amount of supply instead of the way that decreased supply for each person. Equal opportunities created by the Acts encouraged people moving west, which resulted in a larger market connected through the Union, plenished the Union troops in the Civil War and expanded the nations economy. On the other hand, Lincoln shaped the American economy. Having guidance supervision from Chase, the Secretary of Treasury, Lincoln made enormous, permanent changes to the nations economy, including the taxes, paper currency, and banking system. First, after studying about Henry Clays American System, which was called for raising tax and tariff , as well as building the second national bank, Lincoln instituted the income tax and tariff, which was the Revenue Act of 1861 supervised by Chase and was signed into law by Lincoln. Motivated by the need to fund the war, the Revenue Act imposed import tariff, property tax, and income tax with a flat rate, and whats more, it accredited Lincoln to appoint the tax collectors, who were also charged with enforcing income tax provisions. For the tariff issue, the Act demanded a tax on imports such as sugar, tea, coffee, alcohol, and other goods, so it raised federal income and supported the local business. In the Revenue Act of 1862, they raised the percentage of income tax, which more largely supplied the Union for war. And the flat rate income tax is still being applied today. Second, Lincoln issued the first paper currency used nationwide in America. Lincoln approved the printing of paper currency known as “greenbacks” instead of species with credibility only to the national government, by signing the Legal Tender Act of 1862, which was one of the most important economic decisions. Since the number of species-gold, and silver were limited and lacked control flexibility, which weakened the national governments effect on the economy, in a way. However, the “greenbacks” allowed the government to control the monetary supply with greater flexibility, which strengthened the national government and simultaneously helped finance the Civil War. Third, Lincoln approved the reinstatement of the national bank. Supervised by Chase and established by the Congress, he signed the new national banking system, which was once destroyed by Andrew Jackson, into law. According to Lincoln in his 1864 State of the Union address, “The national system will create a reliable and permanent influence support of the national credit and protect the people against losses in the use of paper money.”.(“Banking and Panics”) Indeed, the national banking system regulated and promoted the circulation of money among the whole nation, too, which encouraged new businesses by creating government bonds and again strengthened the Union. The system still exists today. Noticing that these vigorous changes took place during the Civil War, it is clear that Lincoln had extraordinary leading skills because he united his team of Republicans and other people, improved the economy of the nation while the nation was in its most unstable era.Referred as “The Great Emancipator”, Abraham Lincoln had a significant role in the destruction of slavery and protection of peoples rights. (DiLorenzo 1) Slavery was the main issue that triggered the Civil War, so it was highly essential to find out a appropriate solution, which Lincoln tried to accomplish. He viewed slavery as a very immoral and inhuman system that ran against the nations value. President Lincoln signed the Confiscation Act of 1861, which was passed by the Congress to free slaves still held by the Confederacy, and claimed the confiscation of ant Confederate property by Union forces, in which the term “property” included slaves. Also, the Confiscation Act of 1862 started that any Confederate official who did not surrender within 60 days of the acts passage would have their slaves freed. Nonetheless, the Acts were only available in the area where the Union occupied. Even though at first Lincoln thought the acts would make the Confederacy be more irritated with the Union, he finally signed. These Acts finally led to the Emancipation Proclamation. Issued by President Lincoln in 1863, it was both a presidential proclamation and an executive order that changed many African-Americans in the South from enslaved to free legally. The Emancipation Proclamation was enforced immediately, Union soldiers soon went forward to the Confederacy, and slaves running away were assisted by them. It was a big step toward the final abolition of slavery. After that, Lincoln made an announcement that African Americans were accepted in the military, so the African Americans soon joined the army and served with white soldiers, thought they got less pay than whites. With the South failing in Antietam at the same time, the Emancipation Proclamation helped stop any possible chance for the South to seek for international support. It made the end of slavery only a matter of time. Again, Lincoln made another milestone. But the real progress Lincoln made to eventually end the war and abolish slavery was the 13th Amendment. This Amendment called for the abolition of slavery and involuntary labor except punishment of crime or other special occasions in the U.S. and its territory. Passed by the congress, Seward, the Secretary of State proclaimed its adoption in 1865. It was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted after the Civil War, which meant the 13th Amendment was just the important beginning of series of laws that ensure equal right on all citizens, without regard to color, race, or religion. Under the Amendment, the using range of Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation was widened since the it was only available in areas occupied by Union armies while the Amendment was for the whole nation. Although the culture in the South still remained racist, the African Americans were legally freed. Furthermore, the Freedmens Bureau Bill that established the Freedmens Bureau in 1865 was initiated by Lincoln. During the early Reconstruction time, the Freedmens Bureau was a crucial agency that helped those African Americans gather with family members from whom they were separated during the war, and it also let them literate. Lincolns contribution was undeniable. He took responsibility to urge African Americans to have the same opportunities as whites after freeing them and led his team to create an organization to accomplish the aim. Hence, with Lincolns impactful leadership, the Union gained strength overwhelming the Confederacy and finally won, slavery was extinct, and African Americans received vital assistance from the nation.In conclusion, with his extraordinary leadership, Abraham Lincoln guided the United States through the Civil War to preserve the Union, to modernize the economy while incentivizing settlement in the west, and to abolish slavery, positively impacting the future for all citizens. As the historian Lewis E. Lehman commented“In Lincolns American System, government fosters growth.”, ideas from Lincoln and other intelligent politicians let the nation boost to growth in the next few decades. Without Lincolns leadership and those people who supervised marvelous ideas, the American system would not be affirmed and the government would not be proved to be a government led by the people and administrated for the people. From 1876 to 1900, the nation was called “Industrial America” since after the Civil War, during which factories and mills were established expansively, new industries such as oil refining, steel manufacturing, and electrical power took place. Also, people saw how beneficial it was when the companies constructed railroad from east o west under the encouragement of Pacific Railroad Act, so railroads then expanded remarkably, again introducing the United States into a “national market economy”. While the economy was boosting like bamboos after rain, the life of African Americans did not change as much as expected. They were once restricted by disc