-
Elected President
Abraham Lincoln was elected president. He was in the National Union Party. He ran against Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Constitutional Union candidate John Bell, and Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas. He had only recieved 40 percent of the popular vote. -
Period: to
Abraham Lincoln's Presidency
-
Homestead Act of 1862
Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862. It gave 160 acres of public land to any claimant who would live on and work the land for five years. After five years they were then allowed to purchase the land fortheir keeping. The Homestead Act led to the distribution of 80 million acres of public land by 1900. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The United States was in it's third year of the Civil War. The Proclamation declared that all slaves in the rebellious states were to be freed and remain free. -
Letter to Major General Hooker
Abraham Lincoln sent a letter to Major General Hooker informing him of his raised position to the head of the Army of the Potomac. Within the letter, Lincoln was very bold in stating his dislike for Hooker's boldness of having disrespect for his leaders, the army, and the government in general. -
National Banking System
Lincoln signed to create a national banking system in the UNited States. He saw that this was important because they had to fund the Civil War and it was very challenging with different currency. Some currencys were unreliable and was not good for the economy whatsoever. -
Order of Retaliation
The President issued an Order of Retaliation promising that for every Union prisoner killed, a Confederate prisoner would be killed and that for every Union soldier put into slavery, a Confederate prisoner would be put to hard labor and not released until the latter was. This letter shows Lincoln's seriousness towards the war and how important it is to him that he is stern and gets his point across. -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, the site of one of the worst bettles of the Civil War. It is 273 words long and speaks of the principles of human equality and the need for "a new birth of freedom." It is arguably one of the most important speeches in American history. -
Lincoln Wins Re-election
With 55 percent of the vote, Lincoln won the re-election. He defeated Democrat George B. McClellan. His re-election represented that settlement with the Confederacy vanished. McClellan was the former comander of the Union Army of the Potomac and had failed to defeat Robert E. Lee. -
Reconstruction Speech
Lincoln delivered his final public speech. It contains a lot about the reconstruction of the United States after the Cicil War. It took place two days after the surender of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee which ended the war. -
Lincoln's Assassination
John Wilkes Booth assasinated Lincoln by shooting him in the back of the head while Lincoln was at a play, "Our American Cousin" with his wife at Ford's Theatre. He was then in medical care until he eventually died the next mornin. He was the first president to be assassinated. Following the assassination, Ford's Theatre shut down for a very long time.
