During the Great Depression, he argues, Lincoln served "as a means for seeing the world's disappointments, for making its sufferings not so much explicable as meaningful." [152] People of the Northern states knew the Southern states would vote against Lincoln and rallied supporters for Lincoln. Douglas's argument was more legal in nature, claiming that Lincoln was defying the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court as exercised in the Dred Scott decision. He sent out pink-hued pamphlets attacking Douglas loyalty. [121] Some eastern Republicans supported Douglas for his opposition to the Lecompton Constitution and admission of Kansas as a slave state. One of his greatest preoccupations as a political thinker was the issue of self-governance and the promise and problems that could arise from it. [92] In 1849, he received a patent for a flotation device for the movement of boats in shallow water. The entrance to their box seats was poorly guarded, allowing actor John Wilkes Booth to enter. ", "Lincoln and the Problem of Race: A Decade of Interpretations", "Holding Up a Flawed Mirror to the American Soul: Abraham Lincoln in the Writings of Lerone Bennett Jr", "The Obama-Lincoln Parallel: A Closer Look", "Obama to be sworn in with Lincoln, King Bibles", "History of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)", "$18.5million gift to help refurbish Lincoln Memorial", "15 Most Visited National Landmarks in Washington, D.C.", "Abraham Lincoln Historical Tours in Springfield, Illinois", "Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico", "Abraham Lincoln: The Man (Standing Lincoln): a bronze statuette by Augustus Saint-Gaudens", "Congress Dedicates Lincoln Room | U.S. Capitol Historical Society", "Legislation to Name Room in US Capitol "Lincoln Room" Passes House", "Abraham Lincoln - Early political career", "Abraham Lincoln: Conservative Statesman", "Abraham Lincoln and the Corwin Amendment", "The Other Civil War Lincoln and the Indians", "Abraham Lincoln and Jacksonian Democracy", Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, The Lincoln Presidential Library's ongoing digitization of all documents written by or to Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime, Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln complete collected works as edited by Basler et al. As States sent Union regiments south, on April 19, Baltimore mobs in control of the rail links attacked Union troops who were changing trains. Finally, at age 25 he would be elected to the State Assembly from this frontier town of 100 persons, mostly farmers who cut below the tough prairie sod to find some of the richest soil in the world. Lincoln is the only president to have obtained a patent. Lincoln was sharpy criticized for imposing a tariff that it was thought would increase costs for American steel users like the . [87] This distant territory was a Democratic stronghold, and acceptance of the post would have disrupted his legal and political career in Illinois, so he declined and resumed his law practice. [131] In May 1859, Lincoln purchased the Illinois Staats-Anzeiger, a German-language newspaper that was consistently supportive; most of the state's 130,000 German Americans voted for Democrats, but the German-language paper mobilized Republican support. Though much less prosperous than some of his Lincoln forebears, Thomas was a sturdy pioneer. 2. Now, at the end of three years struggle the nation's condition is not what either party, or any man devised, or expected. In July, the Confiscation Act of 1862 was enacted, providing court procedures to free the slaves of those convicted of aiding the rebellion; Lincoln approved the bill despite his belief that it was unconstitutional. Interestingly President Abraham Lincoln fully understood this way back in 1861 when he raised tariffs on imported steel. Lincoln then declared his opposition to slavery, which he repeated en route to the presidency. According to his own statement, however, his early surroundings provided absolutely nothing to excite ambition for education. But abolishing slavery would become a nonnegotiable objective for him as the war progressed because of his own long-expressed abhorrence for the practice and because of the growing antislavery sentiment among his fellow Northerners. google_ad_slot = "5694575557"; [387] While he is usually portrayed bearded, he did not grow a beard until 1860 at the suggestion of 11-year-old Grace Bedell. [220] In a letter of August 22, 1862, Lincoln said that while he personally wished all men could be free, regardless of that, his first obligation as president was to preserve the Union:[221], My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's 250 years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said 3,000 years ago, so still it must be said, "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether". [51], Lincoln was an affectionate husband and father of four sons, though his work regularly kept him away from home. Beyond fear, beyond anger. Lincoln warned. After his arrival in Illinois, having no desire to be a farmer, Lincoln tried his hand at a variety of occupations. The National Union Party was united by Lincoln's support for emancipation. [379], Barry Schwartz wrote in 2009 that Lincoln's image suffered "erosion, fading prestige, benign ridicule" in the late 20th century. Anti-war Democrats (called "Copperheads") despised Lincoln, and irreconcilable pro-Confederate elements plotted his assassination. Lincoln managed his own successful re-election campaign. [291], The Lincoln Administration presided over the expansion of the federal government's economic influence in other areas. [231], Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the Gettysburg battlefield cemetery on November 19, 1863. "[353], In Lincoln's first inaugural address, he explored the nature of democracy.