How Did Abraham Lincoln's Impact On Society

Throughout history there have been thousands of people who have influenced and shaped the great nation of America. Presidents like Washington, inventors like Edison, and great businessmen like Carnegie have changed and formed the United States into what they are today. Though there have been many, one of the single most influential figures in American history was Abraham Lincoln. “Honest Abe” was the embodiment of the American dream as a self made, self taught man. On November sixth, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected the sixteenth president of the United States of America. At the time of Lincoln’s election, America was in great turmoil. The country was torn in half over the issue of states rights and slavery. The south was tired of the north

Following his election in 1860, Lincoln did many things that would go on to change the course of American history and politics. As previously stated, one of Lincoln’s most influential actions was the Emancipation Proclamation. This statement opened the first door that led towards freedom and equality for African Americans. If the Emancipation Proclamation had never been issued we may never have had the Thirteenth Amendment, which brought freedom to all slaves. President Lincoln is responsible for the freedom that people of color enjoy today. He was a great president for a chaotic time in history! Not only did Lincoln politically change the United States through the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment, he was very influential because of his leadership during a very tense and violent period. He managed to preserve the Union through those troublesome times. After the Civil War President Lincoln began helping the nation recover. The States were kept together due to his extraordinary measures. Lincoln managed to guide the country through the war in one piece. The North and South were reunited, even if the southerners were not necessarily happy about it. Though he was instrumental in getting the country through civil war, Lincoln’s actions shaped the U.S. in many ways. “The Lincoln administration did more than just manage the Civil War... its reverberations could still be felt in a number of policies” (Civil War Trust). He headed the Morrill Act which established state universities. He passed the Homestead Act, encouraging people to settle in the west by offering them land. He got the States through the diplomatic crisis of the Trent Affair, preventing conflict with Britain. Lincoln revolutionized the role of the president. He gave the president power over the Supreme Court and Congress, doing what was needed despite the laws it broke. “ Lincoln