The Biography of

The Great One

            In 1846 Lincoln was elected U.S. representative for the Seventh Congressional District of Illinois. The extension of slavery into new U.S. territories was an important question during Lincoln's term in Congress. He supported the Wilmot Proviso, which proposed that slavery in the United States be prohibited in any territory acquired during the Mexican War (1846-1848). Lincoln wanted to run for a second term in Congress, but it was traditional that the Whig candidate from his district serve only one term. He returned to Springfield to practice law, soon becoming one of the most respected lawyers in the state.

            In 1860 the Republican national convention met in Chicago to nominate a presidential candidate. Only Lincoln was acceptable to all factions of the party, and he won the nomination. The convention chose Senator Hannibal Hamlin of Maine as the vice-presidential candidate. The party's policies included a moderate antislavery position designed to appease the South: Slavery was not to be extended, but it would not be abolished where it existed. Also included were a high tariff (tax on imports) to appeal to the industrial North, and the promise of free land for settlers to satisfy the West. The Democrats split into a Northern faction, which nominated Douglas for president, and a Southern faction, which nominated John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky. A fourth party, the Constitutional Union Party, nominated John Bell of Tennessee. With the Democratic Party split, Lincoln was easily elected.

            In September 1862, the Union won a minor victory at the Battle of Antietam in Maryland. Lincoln chose this opportunity to issue his Emancipation Proclamation, which announced that on January 1, 1863, all slaves residing in rebellious states would "be then, thenceforward, and forever free..." With this advance warning, Lincoln gave the rebellious states an opportunity to rejoin the Union with slavery intact. Because Lincoln only had the power to free the slaves as a necessity of war, the proclamation did not affect border states in the Union or areas in the rebellious states under federal control. For these states, Lincoln encouraged voluntary, compensated emancipation. The Emancipation Proclamation isolated the Confederacy from potential allies in Europe. France and Britain had threatened to recognize the Confederate government and give it aid. Freeing the slaves brought the people of these countries and their governments over to the Northern side because the North represented the cause of freedom.

            When McClellan refused to take the offensive after Antietam, Lincoln replaced him with a series of commanders who proved unqualified for the task. When Confederate general Robert E. Lee turned his army north to invade Pennsylvania, Lincoln appointed Major General George G. Meade to lead Union forces. The two armies met at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania in early July 1863. On July 5 Lee retreated, his army badly beaten. That same day Lincoln received word that General Ulysses S. Grant had captured Vicksburg, Mississippi, the key Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. In March 1864 Lincoln promoted Grant to commander in chief of all Union armies. Grant's overall strategy was bold. Instead of going after key Southern cities, he decided to attack principal Southern armies.

            Despite its military successes, the Union was faced with the problem of raising huge sums of money to fight the war. New federal taxes were levied, and the tariff was raised. The federal government also began printing paper money. The 1863 National Banking Act made it easier to sell government bonds. The act also provided for a system of federally chartered, privately owned national banks that could issue notes backed by government bonds. On November 19, 1863, Lincoln was called upon to deliver remarks at a ceremony dedicating a military cemetery at the Gettysburg battle site. After a two-hour speech by distinguished orator Edward Everett, Lincoln spoke briefly, rededicating the war effort to the principles of democracy. The speech is called the Gettysburg Address.

            Lincoln gave frequent consideration to the reconstruction of the rebel states and their restoration to the Union. Whenever Union armies gained control in a rebellious area, he encouraged the local people to form a government loyal to the Union, asking only that the new government outlaw slavery and that the number of those voting for the new government be at least 10 percent of those who had voted in the 1860 presidential election. Congressional leaders also had a plan of reconstruction, but it was designed to punish the South and to make it subservient to the Republican Party of the North.

            As the 1864 presidential elections approached, Democrats and radical Republicans were dissatisfied with Lincoln's policies. But the moderate Republicans remained faithful to their leader. Lincoln was again nominated for president, with Andrew Johnson of Tennessee receiving the vice-presidential nomination. The Democrats nominated General McClellan. In the spring and summer of 1864, Lincoln did not think he would win the election. In September the political and military situation took a turn for the better, and Lincoln easily won reelection.