Discover Abraham Lincoln Civil War facts, read about his accomplishments, and see his civil war quotes. Learn about the Emancipation Proclamation and its impact.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Abraham Lincoln During the Civil War | Overview, Facts & Quotes
Table of Contents
- Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War Overview
- Abraham Lincoln: Civil War Facts and Timeline
- Abraham Lincoln Civil War Quotes
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Abraham Lincoln's most famous quote?
Abraham Lincoln has many quotes, but his most famous one is said at the Gettysburg Address. One line in the speech reads: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
What was Abraham Lincoln's role in the Civil War?
Abraham Lincoln served as Commander-in-chief during the Civil War. It meant that he was the leader of all of the armed forces.
Table of Contents
- Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War Overview
- Abraham Lincoln: Civil War Facts and Timeline
- Abraham Lincoln Civil War Quotes
- Lesson Summary
Abraham Lincoln's election was one of the final causes of the Civil War. The country was politically and economically divided due to slavery. While in office, Lincoln was given the difficult task of fighting a war against the South while trying to reunite the United States. Throughout his presidency, he was tasked with defeating the Confederacy in order to bring them back into the Union, leading to the bloodiest war in American history.
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Abraham Lincoln served as the United States' president from 1861 until his death in 1865. Before he was elected, sectionalism between the North and South was on the rise in the 1840s and 1850s. First, the two regions were economically divided. The South was completely dependent on farming cotton plantations using slave labor. Cotton became the most profitable crop to grow in the United States, as well as the most commonly exported good. In order to cut labor costs, southern planters bought enslaved people, forcing them to work on their plantations under poor conditions and harsh treatment with no pay. By not paying these workers, they significantly cut their labor costs, enraging abolitionists in the North. In the North, the economy was based on industry, and Factories produced manufactured goods that fueled economic growth.
The South was incredibly defensive of slavery, regardless of its immorality. To them, slaves were legally defined as property, and freeing or losing their slaves meant losing an investment. Abolitionists, people who wanted slavery to be made illegal, were rare in the South as people who expressed abolitionist views were often attacked. In the North, slavery was rare. The North did not use slave labor in their factories and thus were much less defensive of it. In the North, being against slavery and critiquing the South for its mistreatment of enslaved people was much more common. The expansion of slavery into the western territories continually divided politicians and everyday citizens along geographical lines.
Abraham Lincoln's Election and Taking Office
Abraham Lincoln ran as a Republican against Stephen Douglass in the election of 1860. Lincoln won the election but infuriated Southern Democrats. The Republican party was never explicitly anti-slavery, although many members were abolitionists. Most Republicans only wanted to stop the spread of slavery into the western territories, as Lincoln believed. However, his election prompted the Southern states to form the Confederacy, as they were worried that he might outlaw slavery. It is of note that Lincoln had no intention of abolition until the southern states seceded. By Lincoln's inauguration in March 1861, he was now president of a broken nation that he needed to reunite. He became Commander-in-chief, leading the Union's armed forces as he fought against the southern rebels.
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation
Slaves were often used in the Southern war effort. Legislation that freed slaves in the South would lead to a large population of freed slaves seeking refuge in the North, crippling the South. The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in southern states on January 1, 1863. It legally freed millions of slaves in the South. However, it was ignored by the Confederacy. It did lead many slaves to escape to the North to join the Union war effort as soldiers.
Lincoln's Re-Election
Throughout 1864, Lincoln was campaigning for re-election. Luckily, throughout 1863, the Union was able to turn the tide of the war and have several important victories in battles such as at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. In November of 1864, Lincoln won re-election. The South was not a part of this election as they were in rebellion, meaning that Lincoln won 212 electoral votes, and his opposition George McClellan only won 21. Lincoln won all Union states except for Kentucky, New Jersey, and Delaware. Lincoln's second inaugural address was in March 1865.
Lincoln and the End of the War
The South struggled to finance itself with rising inflation and began facing numerous defeats. The war ended on April 9, 1865, with Lee's surrender at Appomattox. The two Generals, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee met at the Appomattox courthouse for the Confederacy's official surrender. Just a few days later, on April 14, 1865, Lincoln celebrated northern victory. However, while watching a play at a theater in Washington DC, he was assassinated. He died the next day.
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Abraham Lincoln was notable for his many famous speeches, which are often quoted even today. He was a great speaker who knew how to get a crowd's attention and pull at their heartstrings. Here are some of his famous speeches
- House Divided Speech
- Cooper Union Address
- First Inaugural Address
- Gettysburg Address
- Second Inaugural Address
Emancipation Proclamation Quotes
About the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln famously said, "We must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued."
Lincoln recognized that the main issue of the Civil war was over slavery. He knew that if slavery was not outlawed that it would continue to divide the nation, leading to future conflict. By introducing the Emancipation Proclamation, he began the path for outlawing the institution.
The Gettysburg Address
Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg is perhaps his most famous. His Gettysburg address was only 10 sentences and a few minutes long. In it, he discussed the reasons for founding the United States, focusing on the themes of freedom and liberty. The battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest of the entire war, and the speech was given at a dedication for a new cemetery to bury the dead. Here is a quote from the speech: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
Lincoln has his audience think back to the founding of the country, which was well romanticized by many. He states that the country was created based on principles of liberty and the concept that all men are born equal. This last part is especially important. As the war dragged on, Lincoln became increasingly opposed to slavery. The institution did not treat all men as if they were equal.
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Abraham Lincoln on Slavery
Lincoln's exact opinions on slavery have interested and confused historians for decades. Lincoln never came out with a statement condemning the institution until he believed it was necessary for 1863. He kept his opinion private to avoid further dividing the nation. However, many of his private writings provide some insight into his beliefs. Here is a quote from an 1855 letter he wrote:
"You know I dislike slavery; and you fully admit the abstract wrong of it. So far there is no cause of difference. But you say that sooner than yield your legal right to the slave -- especially at the bidding of those who are not themselves interested, you would see the Union dissolved. I am not aware that any one is bidding you to yield that right; very certainly, I am not. I leave that matter entirely to yourself. I also acknowledge your rights and my obligations, under the constitution, in regard to your slaves. I confess I hate to see the poor creatures hunted down, and caught, and carried back to their stripes, and unrewarded toils; but I bite my lip and keep quiet."
He acknowledges that he believes slavery is wrong, but he also says, "I bite my lip and keep quiet." He believed that people had the personal freedom to own slaves, even if it was immoral. He believed making slavery illegal would break the nation apart, and he only wanted to prevent slavery from growing. However, this opinion changed throughout his lifetime, as right before his death, he pushed for the total outlawing of slavery, not just in the South.
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Abraham Lincoln is famous for his many speeches and for stepping up, and maintaining the Union, despite many obstacles during the Civil War. Upon his election in November 1860, the southern states began seceding to form the Confederacy. Before he even came into office, by his inauguration in March 1861, the Confederacy was formed, and a civil war had begun. From then on, he was Commander-in-chief, leader of all of the U.S. armed forces. By 1863, the war was beginning to turn in favor of the Union, and Lincoln created the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves in the Confederacy. Two years before his death, he gave his most famous speech, the Gettysburg Address. In this ten sentence speech, he discussed why the United States was started and focused on topics of freedom and liberty.
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Video Transcript
Lincoln's First Months in Office
If you ask someone to name an American president, there's a good chance that Abraham Lincoln will be at the top of the list. He was a great leader during the Civil War, a very difficult time in the United States.
Back then, slavery was allowed, and African Americans could be bought and sold and had no rights. Slaves were a big part of the farming system in the South. More people began to feel that slavery was wrong, especially in the North.
Lincoln, who didn't want slavery in new lands being added in the West, was elected president in November 1860. Between the election and when Lincoln took office in March 1861, some southern states seceded or left the United States. The Civil War began in April. What a tough first month! The long, bloody war between the northern states (the Union) and the southern states (the Confederacy) lasted until 1865.
Some Interesting Facts
Here are some interesting facts about Abraham Lincoln and his role as president:
- At the beginning, Lincoln's main goal was to keep the Union together.
- Some of the first things Lincoln did was get more soldiers and start a navy blockade, which meant that ships could not bring supplies to the South.
- As President, Lincoln was Commander in Chief of all the armed forces, but he didn't know much about war. He studied military strategy and learned quickly.
- On January 1, 1863, Lincoln made the Emancipation Proclamation, which was a speech saying that millions of slaves in the Confederacy should be free. It took time for the slaves to really become free, but this was a huge step.
- Lincoln asked people with different views to give him advice and tried hard to keep everyone working together.
- Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, in the place where over 50,000 soldiers died in a terrible battle. The main speaker talked for two hours, while Lincoln spoke ten sentences. It became one of the most famous speeches.
- Lincoln ran his campaign for reelection in 1864 and won.
Lincoln: Quotes
Lincoln had many important quotes, and it's hard to pick. Here are a few of the most meaningful:
- From the Gettysburg Address: ''Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.''
- ''My policy is to have no policy.'' Instead of having a plan up front, Lincoln made changes when he felt something wasn't working.
- ''We must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued.'' Lincoln realized the Civil War was about ending slavery.
Lincoln's Timeline as President
Let's now take a moment to look at the timeline of Lincoln's time as president during the American Civil War:
- November 1860 - Lincoln wins the election.
- March 1861 - Lincoln takes office.
- April 12, 1861 - Civil War begins.
- January 1, 1863 - Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation.
- July 1-3, 1863 - Battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
- November 19, 1863 - Lincoln gives the Gettysburg Address.
- November 1864 - Lincoln is reelected president.
- April 9, 1865 - Top Confederate general surrenders.
- April 11, 1865 - Lincoln gives his last speech at the White House, where he talks about rebuilding and giving African Americans the right to vote.
- April 14, 1865 - Lincoln is shot while watching a play in a theater. He dies the next day.
Lesson Summary
All right, now let's take a moment to review the important information that we've learned. When President Lincoln first took office, some southern states had already seceded, or left, from the country to start the Confederacy, and the Civil War began a month later. Lincoln didn't know much about military strategy, but he became a strong Commander in Chief. The Emancipation Proclamation, which was a speech saying that millions of slaves in the Confederacy should be free, and the Gettysburg Address are two examples of Lincoln's leadership during a very hard time.
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Abraham Lincoln During the Civil War | Overview, Facts & Quotes
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