Essay Example on Abraham Lincoln: A Remarkable President and His Legacy

Introduction

Abraham Lincoln was one of the most remarkable presidents ever to lead America. He was in office as president between 1861 and 1865 ("Abraham Lincoln," 2020). The reign was ended by being assassinated through a gunshot wound to the head. During the American Civil War, Lincoln led the country through its greatest constitutional, moral, and political crisis. Despite opposition, he managed to preserve the Union by pitting factions against each other, appealing to the American people, and exploiting political patronage. Pro-slavery southerners threatened to secede after Lincoln became president since he was after abolishing their trade. His other achievements included modernizing the U.S. economy, abolishing slavery, and strengthening the federal government. His leadership steered America through tough times and transformed the nation through economic modernization. Both scholars and the public rank Lincoln as the most celebrated American president. Although Lincoln's presidency filled with constant opposition from various factions that disapproved of his policies, he managed to lead the country successfully to become among the most revered U.S presidents.

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Politics

Lincoln first joined politics in 1832, where he contested for Illinois General Assembly ("Abraham Lincoln," 2020). However, due to lack of money, influential friends, and formal education, he lost that election despite the ability to pull crowds. During this attempt, Lincoln advocated for the improvement of navigation on the Sangamon River. Later in 1834, he had his first success as a Whig and served for four terms in the Illinois House of Representatives (Hormats, 2003).

While at the house, Lincoln backed the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. He also voted for the expansion of suffrage to include all white males beyond the initial white landowners. In 1843 there was another political setback after Lincoln failed to get the Whig nomination for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives ("Abraham Lincoln," 2020). He, however, succeeded in limiting his opponent's stint to a single term through the party. This move earned him the nomination in 1846, where he made his first attempt to push a bill to abolish slavery ("Abraham Lincoln," 2020). He later dropped the bill for lack of support from the Whig Party.

Human rights

President Lincoln was an ardent defender of human rights in America. Top on the list of his activism in protecting human rights was advocating for the abolition of slavery. Lincoln made several attempts to stop slavery, which often lacked support, but he finally succeeded when he became president. For instance, upon his return to law practice, Lincoln was irked by the opening of additional lands to slavery. This explains his strategy to abolishing slavery, which restricted expansion into new states.

After his landslide victory for the presidency in 1860, pro-slavery elements in the South considered this win as North's rejection of their right to engage in slavery (Hormats, 2003). His commitment to ending slavery in America was the reason a Confederate sympathizer assassinated him. Slavery was outlawed through the Emancipation Proclamation that became effective in 1863(Sieff, 2013). The order helped change the legal status of over 3 million African Americans from slaves to free. The directive further provided military protection for escaped slaves.

Technology

Abraham Lincoln was a technology enthusiast, and this interest remained with him into his presidency. Reske (2009) states that Lincoln was a product of the age of expansion, innovation, and invention. As an attorney, Lincoln used to represent railroads. He was personally interested in the development of new weapons and even tested modern rifles on the White House lawn.

Lincoln was instrumental in the establishment of the National Academy of Sciences as a scientific consultation body to the government. He also embraced the fairly new telegraph system to help in managing the war. He often visited the telegraph offices for the War Department to review military telegrams. This move enabled him to gain insight into the reasoning of the generals, thus managing to contribute to decisions. The constant availability of information enabled Lincoln to be always updated about the war and assert his leadership like no other president before him. In 1849, he developed a patent for a model of lifting boats, making him the only president to receive a patent.

Business

Before Lincoln came to power, businesses were mainly focused on local trade with the competition, often being local. For a country that entered the 19th century predominantly as an agricultural economy, growth and development in technology and infrastructure affected the way people conduct business. Water transport, railroad, and telegraph services enhanced communication and movement of goods and people. These changes accelerated the expansion of the national economy, such that competition for local companies came from others abroad. Railway and factory-based mass production contributed to an economic boom.

However, the financial crises of 1819, 1837, and 1859 interrupted the growth, causing thus leading to unemployment (Hormats, 2003). As a legislator, Lincoln fought for the development of the U.S. economy when he litigated is a case of a bridge company against boat owners. The motive for this suit was to curtail the growth of the railroad, which as deemed to be competing with the boat owners. The rail traffic was seemingly growing in capacity than river traffic.

Industry

The government under Abraham Lincoln created laws that enabled financial and industrial corporations to organize effectively. This effectiveness was achieved through the provision of security from interference by the government. Such laws contributed to the industrial growth of the United States. Lincoln's administration was way ahead of its peers in terms of offering financial and land grants. European countries did not provide grants comparable to those offered by the United States (Hormats, 2003). When compared to Russia, the U.S. had a forty-year head start in the construction of a transcontinental railroad. He believed in the industry over agriculture and in the importance of manufacturing over mining. Additionally, he understood that the primary commodities sector was vital in strengthening America's economy (Sieff, 2013). Lincoln also managed to transform the United States from being an agricultural empire into being the world's industrial giant.

Agriculture

Lincoln was raised in a family of frontier farming. This background marked his first contact with agriculture and the subsequent impact on the growth and development of the sector. According to an article by Megan Slack (2012) published on the Obama White House Archives, it is Lincoln who signed the legislation that created the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This signing of 1862 demonstrated his being true to his roots. He later signed additional legislation that aimed to expand and transform farming in the United States. The transformation also included establishing the Homestead Act and the Land Grant agricultural university system.

Also, the USDA helped to disseminate information to farmers of things such as seeds, food, and farming techniques. This year, the USDA will be celebrating its 158th anniversary. The department has had the closest contacts with its constituents compared to any other department in the U.S. government. Such factors explain the reason behind Lincoln branded it as the people's department. The USDA touches on several areas of the U.S. society, including the food stamp program and the school lunch program.

U.S. 1877

In his last speeches, Abraham Lincoln leaned toward supporting the right to vote for all former slaves. These views were, however, highly opposed by his successor, Johnson, and the Democratic Party. Johnson had weak Reconstruction policies that allowed Southern states to determine the rights of freedmen. Lincoln hated slavery. His vision of ending this trade was realized after Republicans got a majority in Congress in 1866 (Reske, 2009). This victory enabled them to pass the Fourteenth Amendment that federalized equal rights for freedmen and dissolved rebel state legislatures until they had adopted new constitutions for states in the South.

A Republican coalition took charge of the majority of the Southern states and set up a free labor economy through the Freedmen's Bureau and the U.S. Army. The bureau helped to protect the rights of the freedmen, set up churches and schools, and negotiated labor contracts. Therefore, Lincoln's vision of civil rights to ensure justice for former slaves was realized through the Republican Party.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Abraham Lincoln is the greatest president that America ever had. He came from a humble background to accomplish significant achievements for the country in terms of agricultural, industrial, economic, and civil rights growth. Lincoln was vibrant in the fight to abolish slavery and an ambassador for development. He also loved technology, as seen in his interest in new weaponry and innovation.

References

Abraham Lincoln. (2020). White House.Retrieved March 20, 2020, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/

Hormats, R., D. (2003). Abraham Lincoln and the Global Economy. HBR. https://hbr.org/2003/08/abraham-lincoln-and-the-global-economyReske, H., J. (2009, Feb. 11). Abraham Lincoln: A Technology Leader of His Time. U.S. News. usnews.com/news/history/articles/2009/02/11/abraham-lincoln-a-technology-leader-of-his-time

Sieff, M. (2013, Jan. 17). America's Bismarck: How Lincoln Created Industrial America. The Globalist. https://www.theglobalist.com/americas-bismarck-how-lincoln-created-industrial-America/

Slack, M. (2012, May 15). From the Archives: President Abraham Lincoln Creates the Department of Agriculture. The White House President Barrack Obama.https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2012/05/15/archives-president-abraham-lincoln-creates-department-agriculture