How Did Abraham Lincoln Shaped American Society

Throughout American history, there have been individuals who changed the United States for the better and made their names represent more than an average human. Abraham Lincoln is one of these extraordinary people. Lincoln, the sixteenth United States President, was significant to the American Civil War, an event that reshaped American society greatly. Lincoln was essential to the war because his election contributed to starting the war, he inspired the Union to not give up and resume fighting in the war, and he passed the Emancipation Proclamation, a pivotal action in the war. These actions of his made him a valuable person. To begin with, Lincoln was a vital person to the Civil War because his election in 1860 was one of the key causes of the war. During the presidential election of 1860, slavery was a major issue that divided the nation in two: the North, which disapproved slavery, and the South, which supported it. Because of this, the candidates’ positions on slavery were important. People had been aware that Lincoln personally opposed slavery and thought it was immoral. His view of slavery caused most Southerners to oppose him. Despite this, Lincoln won the election. According to “Abraham Lincoln - President During

Most of his encouragements came from the potent words in his speeches, such as his famous Gettysburg Address. In this speech, Lincoln asserts that the people of the Union should be “dedicated here to the unfinished work” which their fallen allies have died trying to accomplish. These words inspired many people of the Union to keep fighting to not let the dead die in vain. In his second inaugural address, Lincoln said the people of the Union should “strive on to finish the work we are in” and “bind up the nation's wounds.” Hearing this, the people of the Union were confident that they would win the war, so they didn’t give