Cindy Lopez

POL 3113-001

Final Exam Essay

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Abraham Lincoln, was a self-taught Illinois lawyer and legislator with a reputation
as a powerful opponent of slavery, who won the Republican Partys nomination for
president in 1860 (History.com). Abraham Lincoln is remembered for his vital role as the
leader in preserving the Union during the Civil War and beginning the process that led to
the end of slavery in the United States (Norton).
Shortly after his victory as president, the civil war began. Abraham Lincoln led the
United States through a very critical period. Constitutional issues centering upon "States
Rights" needed to be resolved. The Confederate States of America would separate the
young federation of United States into two separate countries (History.com). President
Lincoln's challenge was to insure the survival of all the states by maintaining a unified
whole.
One of his biggest decisions now considered a huge advance in American justice
was issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, which ordered freedom for slaves
in the rebellious states (PBS). However, this rule did not apply in any of the Confederate
states nor did it apply in the Border States. The Emancipation Proclamation only applied
to the states where slave were pretty much already free, since they were all members of
the Union (APT). Which was the purpose, as noted when he said I have no purpose,
directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it
exists (APT). Abraham Lincoln knew the Emancipation Proclamation would not do
away with slavery as a whole, so he argue for a passage of the constitutional to be
amendment outlawing slavery. However, the change in the constitution did not happen
until December 1865 amending the final passage of the Thirteenth Amendment
(Norton).

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Even though the Emancipation Proclamation did not set the all slave free (APT),
it did however accomplish giving African Americans the right to serve in both the Army
and the Navy of the Union (YourDictionary). Lincoln gave them the right to fight for their
own freedom. It also set the path to eventually ending slavery in the Union.
The Emancipation Proclamation matters because it was the first step in
eventually ending slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation was a small piece in what
would became an ongoing movement. It encouraged more and more people through the
years after it was put into effect. African Americans began to unite and speak up about
the rights they deserved.
Lincoln turned the Civil War into a fight for universal human rights. In the
Gettysburg Address, he spoke of the United States experiencing a new birth of freedom.
Lincoln helped people see that the tide of history had turned against slavery and that it
was time for a new policy with regard to race. In the address Lincoln explained that a
new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal (APT.) Lincoln wanted to establish a free society (Springfield speech,
1857) (APT). The Gettysburg Address eloquently expressed the wars purpose, heeding
back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence and the pursuit of
human equality. In pursuit of this cause, Lincoln assisted in the passage of the 13th,
14th and 15th Amendments, which outlawed slavery, gave freed slaves citizenship and
established their right to vote. Even with these accomplishments African Americans
would face another century of struggle before they truly began to gain equal rights
(History.com). The Gettysburg Address stands as one of the most famous and influential

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pieces of rhetoric in American history. It became the most famous speech of Lincolns
presidency, and one of the most widely quoted speeches in history.
Today the Gettysburg Address still matters because President Lincoln
rededicated the nation to the principle of human equality (Richardson), and to a
government that reflected that equality by advancing the economic interests of all
Americans. Now, as then, most Americans still support Lincolns vision (Richardson).
The human equality movement has spread to other issues that do not just pertain to
race, but also to sexual orientation, among other issues (Richardson).
The 13th Amendment changed the way Americans live today. Mainly because the
13th amendment, became an instrument for Americans to change their views on
African-Americans (Kobeissi). More importantly, the 13th amendment became a way to
stop slavery. The 13th Amendment opened many possibilities not only to AfricanAmericans, but also to other races who are now living in America. The 13th Amendment
set a new perception that everyone is equal (Kobeissi). That everyone has the right to
live here in America equally.
Shortly after the assassination of Lincoln, loop holes were created to severely
limit the rights and liberties of blacks. Other Southern states follow with similar
legislation. The segregation laws impose requirements on a minority that the majority
would not accept (APT). Such laws as segregated schools, public bathrooms, water
fountains, etc.. By the 1960s (a century later), tension had built and mustered up
courage to begin doing something about the maltreatment of African American. Among
many, there was Martin Luther King, who embraces idea of being maladjusted to the
ills of society (APT). Just as maladjusted as Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson

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were toward slavery [quoting line from Declaration of Independence], or Jesus was
when he dreamed a dream of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man
(APT).
King's Letter from Birmingham Jail inspires a growing national civil rights
movement. In Birmingham, the goal was to end the system of segregation completely in
every aspect of public life and in job discrimination. King's letter from Birmingham Jail
aims to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that
has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue (APT)
In 1963, work in the nations capital came to a halt as thousands of non-violent
protestors made their way to Washington. The city had never seen a protest of this
magnitude. Around the world, millions watched on television as 250,000 people of
different backgrounds came together to demand social justice. The events that day
helped mark the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation and reminded Americans
of the nations long pursuit to fulfill its founding principles of liberty and equality for all
(Smithsonian).
In August 1963, from the Lincoln Memorial, King echoed Lincoln's opening lines
of the Address, reminding the crowd that (Hancock) Fivescore years ago, a great
American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation
Proclamation (MLK), and goes on to say that one hundred years later, African
Americans are still not free, and finds themselves exile in their own land (MLK). In the I
Have a Dream Speech," King quotes many of the same points as Lincoln did, such as
the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. King says the Constitution and
the Declaration were signing as a promise that all men would be guaranteed the

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unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (APT). History is the long
and tragic story of the fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges
voluntarily (APT).
After many movements, Congress authorizes the Civil Rights Act, the most farreaching legislation in U.S. history to ensure the right to vote, guarantee access to
public accommodations, and the withdrawal of federal funds to any program
administered in a discriminatory way (Smith). Even after, like everything else, there was
resistance. Still, congress authorizes the 1968 Civil Rights Act, providing federal
enforcement provisions for discrimination in housing (Smith).
Times have changed due to the efforts of Lincoln. Lincoln fought for the freedom
of slaves. He set the ideology of African American freedoms. Through the Emancipation
Declaration, Gettysburg Address, The Thirteenth Amendment, and the Civil War. Which
later influenced others like Martin Luther King to fight for civil rights. Many people are
unaware that Lincoln influenced these and most future movements. The nation has just
re-elected an African-American president who hangs in the Oval Office, a signed copy
of the Emancipation Proclamation, because it was the first movement of a domino effect
(Hampson). Abraham Lincolns wisdom is responsible for encouraging and influencing
the future strength of what is now the democracy known as United States of America.

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Work Cited

"1963." National Museum of American History. Smithsonian, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 03 May

2015.
"Abraham Lincoln's Accomplishments" YourDictionary. Love To Know, n.d. Web. 03 May

2015.
"Emancipation Proclamation." Africans In America. PBS, n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.
"Lincoln Issues Emancipation Proclamation." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d.

Web. 01 May 2015.

Hampson, Rick. "150 Years Later, Lincoln's Emancipation Still Sparks Debate." USA Today.

Gannett, 25 Dec. 2012. Web. 03 May 2015.

King, Martin L. "I Have a Dream." Speech.
Kobeissi, Hussein. "How the 13th Amendment Made A Change To Freedom." Helium. n.d.

Web. 03 May 2015.

Kramnick, Isaac, and Theodore J. Lowi. American Political Thought: A Norton Anthology.

New York: W.W. Norton, 2009. Print.

Norton, R. J. "The Accomplishments of President Abraham Lincoln." The Accomplishments

of President Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln Research Site, n.d. Web. 03 May 2015
Richardson, Heather C. "What the Gettysburg Address Means for America Today." The
Historical Society: What the Gettysburg Address Means for America Today. The Historical

Society, n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.

Smith, Champman. "American Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights Timeline." Ushistory.org.
Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.