Abraham Lincoln's Ethical Decision-Making Process

To conclude, Abraham Lincoln was a hero to many people but to others he was a man with a questionable motive. To Hofstader he was a man that used his “unfortuante upbringings” as a way to advanced his politcal

Many of America's leaders were assassinated such as John F. Kennedy and MLK. The motives to their assassinations were most from disagreements which is the same motive for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On April 14th 1865, John Wilkes, shot and killed Abraham Lincoln at a play at ford Theatre . John Wilkes Booth was born in Maryland and was born in 1838. He lived in the north during the civil War but but yet he still didn’t agree with Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln's assassination was not justified because he freed slaves and he was a great leader.

During the history of the United States there have been very respectable speakers Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy but perhaps no greater leader in American history came to addressing the country like Abraham Lincoln. In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln gave a short speech concerning the effect of the Civil War and his own personal vision for the future of the nation. In this speech Lincoln uses many different rhetorical strategies to convey his views of the Civil War to his audience.

During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency at the start of the 1860, an issue that had divided the nation was slavery. Lincoln’s election to presidency as a republic was not received well by the Southern slave states, as they thought that as a republican he was out to abolish slavery. In an effort to calm southern states and keep them from seceding from the United States, he attempts to ease them with his First Inaugural Address. In his First Inaugural Address his key points are to clam southern leaders of slave states, keep the states from seceding, and make them at ease as he enters presidency.

President Abraham Lincoln uses a variety of rhetorical strategies in his Second Inaugural Address to pose an argument to the American people regarding the division in the country between the northern states and the southern states. Lincoln gives this address during the American Civil War, when politics were highly debated and there was a lot of disagreement. Lincoln calls for the people of America to overcome their differences to reunite as one whole nation once more.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and Commander in Chief during the Civil War. He was a member of the Free Soil Party and later became a Republican. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the Confederate States after the Battle of Antietam, and ultimately led the North to victory in the Civil War. What most do not know, however, is that he got to that point after a long road of lying and deception. Abraham Lincoln constantly altered his views on slavery and other issues during the 1800s purely based on his audience. In addition to this very unpleasant approach, he freed the African Americans only as an advantage that could lead him into winning the war. Furthermore, Abraham Lincoln should be referred to as just another politician.

President Lincoln stated that: “if I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it,..., and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would do it.”. This quote clearly shows that the freedom of slaves was not his concern and unnecessary if it did not help the Union; as the result, slavery still exists if there is no war. Free slave from bondage should be a Great Emancipator’s primary goal and he will do his best to achieve it no matter what, but president Lincoln’s thought differed from that because all he cares was the Union. Although he had many times admitting himself an anti-slavery but his words and thoughts obviously prove that he is

Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, the third shortest inaugural address in US history, was delivered on March 4, 1865 in front of the US Capitol. In just over a month, the Civil War would be over. Already the Thirteenth Amendment has abolished slavery, and only Generals Lee and Johnston with a small force stand against a Union army 280,000 strong. Despite an inevitably victorious North, President Lincoln’s speech is somber and speaks only of the wounds rendered in this great nation, suggesting that slavery had offended God and that the war acted as a form of divine retribution. Through rhetoric, Lincoln heeds the American people to reunite and move past their disagreements.

For the United States, the mid-nineteenth century is a time when social activism in American society is reflected in the writing. These writers were determined to change the way of life, if not for themselves, for someone else. Their writings would become incite to some of the deepest issues of the time.

Although Abraham Lincoln’s personal opinions were rather anti-slavery, as president, he had the obligation to not

Lincoln wanted to be sure that this attitude would last. In one such effort, Lincoln suggested that the Republican Party make the idea of slavery eradication by constitutional amendment a part of their political platform. By this, he aimed to make it a part of the supreme law of the land. With this idea as the successful Republican platform, Congress was urged to pass the mandate by their president and by the people. In the process, Lincoln revived the background of America; a background of freedom and equality. He knew that this would ensure the freedom of the blacks. The other side of Lincoln’s effort to make these ideals last was to reach out to the citizens. Together, he and the American citizen began by spreading the reach of the Emancipation Proclamation. He began with his army, encouraging them and leading them to take these ideas with them as they advanced in Confederate territory. With each advancement, the fingers of the proclamation stretched further and pulled the nation together. Lincoln then reached to the common citizen. With the Emancipation Proclamation and every order he made, Lincoln called for the best in his people. Paludan puts it as showing them at their best, “engaged in the imperative, life-preserving conversation between structure and purpose, ideal and institution, means and ends.” He goes on to state, “within the nation

During the mid-nineteenth century, the controversy over the morality of slavery and the rights of African Americans overshadowed America’s efforts of building a united nation. In fact, this controversy tore America apart. Abraham Lincoln was not only one of the leading anti-slavery advocates, but he also eventually became president during this tumultuous era. Many events occurred prior to the start of the Civil War that shaped Lincoln’s thinking and his approach to abolishing slavery. These events include the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the Dred Scott decision of 1857, and Lincoln’s senate race against Stephen A. Douglas. These events shaped Lincoln’s thoughts by leading him to alter his pre-existing views on slavery and black freedom;

In 1952, Thomas P. Benjamin, an expert in the history of Abraham Lincoln’s life, published his book, Abraham Lincoln: A Biography, which argues that Lincoln’s election was the cause of the war but Lincoln’s efforts would also lead to the North’s decisive victory. This argument renders similar to the arguments of Charnwood and Ludwig, but differs in the way that Lincoln’s actions are glorified tremendously in this second time period. Lincoln, along with his actions, are depicted as highly thoughtful, incisive and effective. His clearly recognized position of the moral issue of slavery gave rise to Lincoln’s fame and aided his presidential election.5 Benjamin further states the point that Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was an important milestone

This quote comes from Abraham Lincoln, found on page 53, from the week of November 21, in our Rufus King agenda. Abraham Lincoln was a president and a leader in the Union during the Civil War. He helped end slavery and help freed slaves. Abraham Lincoln had a wonderful sense of humor. He was depressed in some periods in his life. He was autodidact (self-taught). He had fought in the civil war before and had built-up the United States. He helped carried all the non-slaveholding states except New Jersey. He was a person who had a goal. He had a goal to stop slavery and he did stop slavery. The quote up above means to me that if you are prepared or have a goal, “someday” you’ll achieve it. His experience and work that he had done, shows dedication to two of the IB traits; Abraham Lincoln was a risk-taker and a thinker.

This historical study will define the moral leadership of Abraham Lincoln’s role as president during the Civil War. Lincoln’s role as an anti-Slavery supported in the north provided the necessary moral leadership to sustain a complex war involving the continued argument about the continued existence of the institution of slavery. In this context, Lincoln had not previously been a supporter of the northern abolitionist movements before becoming president, yet throughout the Civil War, he incrementally began to realize the political and moral implications of slavery as a dire threat to American freedoms. Lincoln’s opposition to slavery during his presidency defined a major change in U.S. history, which galvanized the North to challenge the dominance of pro-slavery in the South. This commitment to ending slavery formed the foundation of Lincoln’s role as a liberator of African-American slaves as a defining factor of the war. During the Civil War, Lincoln took greater presidential powers as part of a unique form of leadership that overcame the apathetic/immoral political opposition to slavery in Congress. In essence, President Lincoln’s moral leadership provided a defining factor in the