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The role of A. Lincoln as US President in the development of the American economy. Foreign policy of the Southern Confederacy during the Civil War Domestic and foreign policy of President Lincoln

Lincoln. National Portrait Gallery, Washington.

Among the outstanding politicians The sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, occupies a special place in the world. His presidency was during the period civil war in the USA, which lasted from 1861 to 1865 and claimed the lives of about 600 thousand Americans. Lincoln will forever be remembered in history as the man who prevented the collapse of the United States and freed the slaves. He is rightfully considered to continue the work of the “founding fathers” of the United States, the creators of American democracy.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Kentucky into the family of a poor farmer. Her entire well-being depended on the piece of land on which Abraham's parents, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, worked. Since childhood, Abraham was accustomed to working, helping his parents cultivate the land, hunting and collecting wild berries. American farmers in early XIX V. many dangers awaited. Indian attacks, epidemics, and land depletion forced them to frequently move from place to place. The Lincoln family was no exception. This prevented Abraham from even receiving primary education. He himself spoke about it this way: “It is undeniable that when I came of age, I knew little. However, I somehow read, wrote and counted, and that was all I could.” His natural curiosity, excellent memory, and constant desire for self-education helped him out. He loved to read. His favorite books as a child were Robinson Crusoe, Aesop's Fables, and A History of the United States.

Lincoln achieved everything in life through his own efforts. Having started an independent life at the age of 21, he tried many professions. He worked as a land surveyor, storekeeper, lumberjack, postal worker, and even fought with the Indians. For several years, Lincoln studied law, hoping to become a licensed attorney. His interests also included history and philology, and he independently studied mathematics and mechanics. Living among ordinary people. Lincoln managed to gain authority through his success in sports, especially in wrestling.

Nature rewarded Lincoln with a striking appearance. Huge in stature, with unusually long arms and legs, his figure stood out in any crowd. One of Lincoln's contemporaries recalled that he exuded magnetism and energy that attracted people to him.

Lincoln took his first steps in politics in 1834, when he was elected to the Illinois State Legislature, having undergone an excellent political school here and gaining authority among his colleagues. In 1836, Lincoln passed a difficult exam and received the right to practice as a lawyer. After becoming a lawyer, he moved to the city of Springfield. Lincoln began to earn good money for the first time in his life. To do this, he had to practice not only in Springfield, but throughout the judicial district. Every spring and fall, he rode horseback or in a carriage hundreds of miles across the sparsely populated prairies from one village to another, sorting out the litigation of farmers. The cases were mostly small, and the fees for them were negligible. Lincoln achieved fame in the state of Illinois with his deep knowledge of jurisprudence and unselfishness.

The next step in Abraham Lincoln's political career was his election to the House of Representatives of the US Congress in 1847. Working in Congress opens up the opportunity to apply for a place in the government of the country. However, Lincoln failed to stand out among American legislators this time. Moreover, by opposing American aggression in Mexico and the policies of President Polk, Lincoln made many political enemies. The fact was that the United States at that time was pursuing an active foreign policy to seize the lands of neighboring countries, especially Mexico. With the help of weapons and money, Americans for the first half of XIX V. increased their territory by 3.5 times. The majority of the country's population supported such government actions. Lincoln, being a staunch opponent of wars, strongly opposed the American invasion of Mexico. Assessing the actions of the government, he stated that “the political course of the Democrats leads to new wars, territorial conquests, and the further spread of slavery.”

When his term in the House of Representatives expired in 1849, he did not even try to re-enter his candidacy. Returning home from Congress to Springfield marked the onset of the worst period in Lincoln's life: he lost political popularity, his legal practice declined significantly, and he incurred large debts. But over the next three or four years, through perseverance and knowledge, Lincoln became a leading lawyer in the state of Illinois. Having taken on a particular case, he always sought a thorough investigation, knew the laws relevant to the case down to the subtleties, and was able to overcome all formalities and get to the essence of the issue. Traveling around the judicial district, he regained his former popularity.

An unsuccessful test of strength in Congress did not force Lincoln to abandon political activity. He had no intention of limiting himself to the work of a lawyer and joined the Republican Party, formed on February 25, 1854. At this time, the political struggle within the United States revolved around the issue of undeveloped lands in the west of the country and territories seized from other countries. The southern states, where the plantation slave economy flourished, wanted to extend slavery to new territories. The northern states, where there was no slavery, believed that these lands should go to free farmers and the industrial bourgeoisie. But the question of free land was only part of a more complex and important question for the United States about the future of the country as a whole: whether capitalist forms of property would develop in it or whether the plantation-slave system of the economy would prevail. The issue of slavery was also very pressing. Throughout the civilized world it was condemned and the slave trade was prohibited. The United States, so proud of its democracy, continued to secretly buy slaves and import them into the country.

The blacks never accepted their terrible situation. They rebelled and fled to the North, but the planters of the South brutally suppressed the uprisings and rounded up the escaped slaves like wild animals. In 1850, they won the right to hunt fugitive slaves throughout the country. Progressive people were sympathetic to the struggle of blacks and advocated the abolition of slavery in the United States. The most determined of them, uniting with the slaves, embarked on the path of armed struggle against the slave owners. So, in 1859, John Brown, having created a small detachment of whites and blacks, tried to raise an uprising for the emancipation of all slaves in the South. But the local population did not support the rebels, John Brown was captured and executed.

Abraham Lincoln was anti-slavery. As an 18-year-old boy, Lincoln visited New Orleans, the largest slave trading center in the South. He was shocked that people were being sold like animals at the city market. “I hate slavery because slavery itself is monstrously unjust,” said Lincoln. But as a politician, he understood that attempts to put an end to the shameful phenomenon with drastic measures would only lead to war and the collapse of the state. He admitted to those close to him that the issue of abolishing slavery and preserving the Union of States was a very difficult problem for him. Therefore, he was extremely careful in his political statements.

Lincoln believed that preserving the Union was more important than all other issues. “Although I hate slavery, I would rather agree to its expansion than see the Union disintegrate,” he said. The prospect of a struggle between the South and the North of the country was presented to Lincoln like this: “The house, destroyed by quarrels, cannot stand. I am sure that the present government cannot be stable, remaining half slave, half free. I do not expect that the union will be dissolved, that the house will collapse , and I believe that the discord in it will cease. It will become either completely free or completely slave-owning.” Lincoln was confident in the possibility of a peaceful solution to the dispute between the North and the South. In his heart he hoped that if slavery were limited only to the southern states, then it would gradually die out. Slave labor led to the fact that the land was poorly cultivated and quickly became scarce, and planters, in order to make a profit from their farms, had to constantly expand the territories of their possessions.

Late 50s XIX century was a turning point in Lincoln's life. Actively participating in political disputes, he gained wide popularity in the country. Speaking in various parts of the country, Lincoln showed himself to be an intelligent and cautious politician. He did not support the demand for the abolition of slavery and tried with all his might to prevent a civil war. At the Republican Party meeting in Chicago, Lincoln was nominated as a presidential candidate. Now there was a difficult fight ahead with Democratic candidates supporting the slave owners of the South. During election campaign Lincoln, through restraint and a desire to avoid extremes, managed to convince voters and, having won the election on November 6, 1860, became President of the United States.

The election of the Republican served as an impetus for the secession of eight slaveholding states, which announced on February 4, 1861 the creation of an independent state - the Confederate States of America with its capital in Richmond, which elected Jefferson Davis as its president.

Lincoln found himself in a difficult position. He had no experience in governing the country; a government had not yet been formed. Lincoln wanted to convince slaveholders to abandon the division of the Union. Meanwhile, circumstances required quick and decisive measures. The Confederates attacked and captured Fort Sumter. Two days later, Lincoln declared the states of the Confederacy in a state of rebellion and appealed to “all loyal citizens” to come to the defense of the country. 75 thousand volunteers joined the army. A civil war began between North and South.

At first, Lincoln thought that the Northerners would be able to quickly defeat the slaveholders. Indeed, the northern states occupied a much larger territory, most of the country's citizens lived there, and they had a well-developed industry. But the North was not ready for war. Many army officers - natives of the southern states - with the outbreak of the war went over to the side of the slave owners. In addition, in the northern states there were many supporters of the Confederacy, who in every possible way harmed the government troops. So the experience of governing the country and the army came to President Lincoln through the bitterness of defeats and failures. On April 12, 1865, a ceremony was held near the city of Appamotox for the southerners to surrender their weapons.

Lincoln began to restore order with the government. His kindness, fairness to his opponents, balance, humor and generosity allowed him to create a well-functioning government, consisting of both supporters of the emancipation of slaves and those who were inclined to reconcile with slave owners. Lincoln defined his task in the Civil War as follows: “My main object in this struggle is to save the Union, regardless of the preservation or destruction of slavery. If I can save the Union without freeing the slaves, I will do so; if I can save it only by freeing all the slaves, I will do so; if I can save him by freeing some of the slaves, I will do so.” The President skillfully maneuvered between the opinions of government ministers. He patiently listened to everyone, but always made decisions on his own.

Another difficult problem was creating a strong army. Lincoln drew attention to the talented general Ulysses Grant and appointed him commander of the northern army. Together with other capable generals - Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas - Grant was able to carry out a large joint offensive against the southern states.

President Lincoln also proved himself to be a talented diplomat. A striking example is the so-called “Trent case”. Aboard the English ship Trent, two Confederate diplomats headed to Great Britain and France to persuade Europeans to help the South. However, the English ship was detained by the northerners, and the envoys of the southerners were arrested. The British government regarded the actions of the northerners as an insult. Lincoln understood that the British on the side of the South was unacceptable, and released the diplomats. The threat of war with Great Britain disappeared.

Two laws passed by Abraham Lincoln during the war were critical to the Northern victory and the subsequent development of the United States. According to the law on homesteads, anyone could receive a plot of land of 65 hectares for a symbolic fee of 10 dollars. With this, Lincoln attracted many people who wanted land to the army of the northerners, and laid the foundations of modern American farming. Another law signed by Lincoln on January 1, 1863 was the famous Emancipation Proclamation for Negro Slaves. Lincoln himself assessed the document as follows: “If my name ever goes down in history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.” The Proclamation, however, freed only the slaves of the rebel states. Lincoln feared that if slavery were completely abolished, those slave states that had not seceded from the Union might join the rebels. But when the Civil War was already rapidly approaching its conclusion and the victory of the North was obvious, at the initiative of Lincoln, the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was adopted, forever banning slavery.

The Homestead Act and the emancipation of slaves are Lincoln's outstanding contributions to the development of true individual freedom in the United States. The President demonstrated by his own example respect for human dignity. Lincoln received black visitors, something no US president had done before, and one of his friends was the former slave Frederick Douglass.

Lincoln understood and loved his people, and American citizens responded with universal support. On November 8, 1864, at the next election he was elected president for a second term. On April 9, 1865, Southern troops under the command of General Robert E. Lee capitulated. The American Civil War ended, but the president became one of the last victims of this bloody war. On April 14, 1865, while the country was celebrating victory, Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head at Ford's Theater in Washington. Having committed the crime, the murderer, actor John Boots, a fanatical supporter of the southerners, jumped onto the stage and shouted: “This is how tyrants die. The South is avenged!”

The death of Abraham Lincoln literally shocked the whole world. An endless stream of people went to the White House to say goodbye to the man who led the country out of a severe crisis, rallying supporters of the unity of the country and the abolition of slavery. Only by maintaining a single state could the United States subsequently become the leading power in the world. Assessing Lincoln's merits, the great Russian writer L.N. Tolstoy said this: “He was what Beethoven was in music, Dante in poetry, Raphael in painting, Christ in the philosophy of life.”

FEDERAL STATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION OF HIGHER PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
FINANCIAL UNIVERSITY
UNDER THE GOVERNMENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Department of “History”

Abstract on the topic:
President Abraham Lincoln's Role in Development
US economy

Completed: student of group U1-3

Pleska Ekaterina
Scientific supervisor: associate professor
Khailova N. B.

Moscow 2013

Introduction 3

The formation of a future politician: A. Lincoln’s childhood and early life 4

The role of A. Lincoln as US President in the development of the American economy 6

Homestead Act 7

Abolition of slavery 7

Conclusion 8

Literature 10

Introduction

I chose this topic due to my interest in the economic development of the United States during the modern period. The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that the personality of A. Lincoln, his political and economic activities embody the foundations of democracy, freedom and unity - three most important factors that to a certain extent accelerated the capitalist development of the United States and further contributed to its emergence as a world leader at the turn of the 19th century. XX centuries and determined the United States as one of the leading countries in the world today. The purpose of my independent work is to describe the historical portrait of Abraham Lincoln and to justify his role in the development of the US economy.

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States (1861-1865) was a great figure in the era of the bourgeois revolution (late XVIII - 1860s), which was marked by such a major event as the Civil War (1861-1865), which significantly changed the course of US history . This war between the abolitionist states of the North and the eleven slave states of the South (the Confederacy) was the result of worsening economic and socio-political contradictions between two social systems: the wage labor system and the slavery system. According to one version, “the reason for the war between North and South was the election in 1860 of Abraham Lincoln, one of the talented leaders of the Republican Party and a supporter of the abolition of slavery, to the presidency of the United States.” 1 Lincoln personally directed the military effort that led to the Northern victory over the Confederacy. At the end of the war, the president proposed a plan for moderate Reconstruction (a process associated with the annexation of the southern states to the United States and the abolition of the slave system on their territory). Lincoln also supported the integration of black people into American society.

The formation of a future politician: the childhood and early years of A. Lincoln

A. Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, into a family of farmers - Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, who lived on a farm in Gardin County, Kentucky. When Abraham was seven years old, the family moved to Indiana. At the age of nine, Abraham lost his mother, after which his father married the widow Sarah Bush Johnston. The stepmother believed that children should definitely receive an education. Lincoln became the first in his family to learn to write and count, although, according to his own admission, he attended school for no more than a year because of the need to help the family. Since childhood, he was addicted to books and carried his love for them throughout his life. Honesty, integrity and a sharp mind led to the rapid growth of his authority. “Lincoln was a born speaker: his speech was distinguished by simplicity and imagery, he had an inexhaustible sense of humor, he loved and appreciated witty jokes, but never allowed himself to offend anyone with ridicule. He was distinguished by his prudence, never cut from the shoulder, carefully considering his decisions, but, once making them, he never deviated from the choice he made.” 2 In 1830 the family moved further west again to Illinois, which had been part of the Union for twelve years as a slave-free state. Slavery occupied a significant place in Lincoln's mind. His uncle and uncle's father owned slaves. His father, a staunch Baptist, on the contrary, strongly rejected slavery, although not only for ethical and moral reasons. As a simple worker, he knew what it was like to compete with the labor of slaves.

Then Abraham left his family, found a temporary job, and during one of his boat trips down the Mississippi down to New Orleans, he became acquainted not only with the expanses of the then United States, but also saw the lack of infrastructure, which did not yet sufficiently connect individual regions with each other. The impressions from this trip, as well as a visit to a slave market with groups of chained and singing slaves, deeply shocked him. Upon his return, he settled in the small village of New Salem, Illinois, where he worked as a postmaster, merchant and surveyor.

In 1832, Lincoln ran for a seat in the Illinois Legislature but was defeated. After this, he began to systematically study science. In 1833 he was appointed postmaster of New Salem. From 1833 to 1836 he studied law and in 1836 was admitted to legal practice. During his years living in New Salem, Lincoln often had to borrow money. His habit of repaying his debts in full earned him one of his most famous nicknames - “Honest Abe.” From 1834 to 1842, Lincoln was elected four times to the Illinois Legislature as a Whig member. In 1837 he moved to Springfield. When Lincoln entered political arena, Andrew Jackson was president. Lincoln shared Jackson's sympathies for the common man, but not the view that the federal government should, for the sake of the common good, refrain from all economic initiatives and settlements. His political examples were Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, who promoted the economic consolidation of the union through the activities of the federal government and Congress. Under the slogan " American system"They demanded the unification of currencies and banking, improved infrastructure and the development of American industry through protective tariffs. Like most Whig politicians, Lincoln was reserved on the issue of slavery: he rejected the "special institution" emotionally and morally, but did not want to be classified as an abolitionist, whom he criticized.

In 1842 he married Mary Todd. From 1847 to 1849, he represented Illinois in the lower house of the US Congress and opposed the war with Mexico and the slave trade. In subsequent years, he practiced law, became one of the leading lawyers in the state, and was a consultant for the Illinois Central railroad. In 1856, he joined the Republican Party, which arose in the fight against the slave-owning oligarchy of the South.

The role of A. Lincoln as US President in the development of the American economy

Moderate views on the issue of slavery determined the election of Lincoln as a compromise presidential candidate from the Republican Party in the 1860 election. Americans associated Lincoln's personality with hard work, honesty, and social mobility. “Coming from the people, he was a self-made man.” 3

His first term as president, from March 1861 to April 1865, was during the Civil War. After the election of A. Lincoln as president, the southern states responded by seceding from the Union and proclaiming the Confederate States of America in February 1861. The cause of discord between the North and the South was Lincoln's desire to stop the spread of slavery in the United States. The South, and especially the forward-moving Southwest, was characterized by expansion and commercialization. Cotton growing, which is a monoculture in this territory, served as the basis for defining this region as an agricultural one. To continue this agricultural path and increase the scale of production, it was necessary to increase the cultivated areas, which turned out to be impossible under the conditions of territorial restrictions on slavery. Thus, cotton plantation owners perceived the Lincoln government's attempt to prevent the expansion of slavery as an attack on their economic and social system. The armed uprising of the southerners prompted Lincoln to take retaliatory measures.

Homestead Act

During the Civil War, a powerful blow to slavery was the Homestead Law, which led to a radical solution to the agrarian problem and laid the foundation for the development of farming.

The Homestead Act of May 20, 1862 allowed: heads of households, persons over 21 years of age who were U.S. citizens, and persons intending to become U.S. citizens who had not committed any past acts against the United States or assisted or who provided assistance to enemies of the United States, from January 1, 1863, to receive public lands of not more than 160 acres for a price of $1.25 per acre or less than 80 acres for $2.50 per acre. When holding such land of less than 160 acres, the homesteader is entitled to receive additional land adjacent to his or her lot, up to a total area of not more than 160 acres. The law predetermined the impossibility of providing land for obtaining any benefits to outsiders. After 5 years, the site became the property of the settler if a house was built on the site, a well was dug, 10 acres of land were cultivated and a certain area was fenced off.

The Homestead Act became the apogee of Lincoln's policy aimed at suppressing the emergence of slavery in new territories, and later at its complete eradication.

Abolition of slavery

The victory of the North over the slave-owning South in the American Civil War in 1861-1965 put an end to the importation of slaves into the country.
On June 19, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln passed a law abolishing slavery, and on December 30 of the same year he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring blacks living in territories in rebellion against the United States “now and forever” free. “Issued the Declaration of Independence on January 1, 1863, calling on the Union Army to free all slaves owned by landowners.” 4
However, the Declaration did not have the desired impact until the end of the war, because its constitutionality was challenged by the very fact of the armed conflict between the North and the South. In December 1865, the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was adopted, abolishing slavery throughout the state. This event dealt a final blow to the slave trade in the country. The abolition of slavery removed obstacles to the development of capitalism, which laid the foundation for further economic recovery in the United States.

Conclusion

Abraham Lincoln has become a central historical figure in the consciousness of the American people. He was able to prevent the collapse of the United States, made a significant contribution to the formation of the American nation and abolished slavery, which was the main obstacle to the subsequent normal economic development of the country. Lincoln ushered in the modernization of the South and the emancipation of slaves. He is the author of the formulation of the main goal of democracy: “A government created by the people, from the people and for the people.” During his presidency, a transcontinental railroad to the Pacific Ocean was also built, the infrastructure system was expanded, a new banking system was created, and the agrarian problem was solved. However, after the end of the war, the country faced many problems, including uniting the nation and equalizing the rights of blacks and white population. After the assassination of Lincoln (April 14, 1865), the economy of the United States for a long time became the most dynamically developing economy in the world, which allowed the country to become a world leader at the beginning of the 20th century. In many ways, his personal qualities made it possible to mobilize the forces of the state and reunite the country. To this day, Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the most intellectual presidents of the United States.

In my opinion, Abraham Lincoln led the United States to new stage development. After all, by abolishing slavery, he removed an obstacle to the advancement of the United States to a leading position in both the economic, political and social spheres. He set Americans on a path of unity, freedom and equality. The solution to the agrarian problem and the transition to the farmer path of agricultural development also contributed to the improvement of people's lives and economic growth. Abraham Lincoln's contribution to the development of the country is difficult to overestimate, since he is one of the most outstanding presidents in the history of the United States of America.

Literature

Burova I. I., Silinsky S. V. USA. SPb. , 2002

World History: Textbook for Universities / Ed. – G.B. Polyak, A.N. Markova. – M.: Culture and Sports, UNITY, 1997. – 496 p. ISBN 5-85178-042-8

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LINCOLN, Abraham

(1809-65) - one of the greatest statesmen of the USA.

L. was born in Kentucky, the son of a farmer. In his youth he was a lumberjack and woodcutter, a ferryman on the river. Ohio and Mississippi raftsman. Stubbornly educating himself, L., at the age of 27, passed the bar exam. In 1834-41, L. was a member of the Illinois State Legislature, in 1847-48 - a member of Congress, and from March 1861 to April 1865 - President of the United States.

L.'s activities as president took place in the context of the civil war of 1861-65. All his inner and foreign policy subordinated to the struggle for the victory of the bourgeois democracy of the North in the war against the slave-owning South. But the southerners were better prepared for active action and hoped, with the help of foreign intervention, to crush the federation with a quick blow even before the northerners had time to mobilize and train an army. During the first 2 years, military operations developed in favor of the southerners. During this dangerous period of the war for the North, L. showed himself to be a major statesman and diplomat.

In the first two years of the war, the North faced great danger from England and France. The English ruling circles sympathized with the slave-owning South and hoped that the collapse of the Union would restore the dependence of the North American continent on England. In turn, France from 1862 until the end of the civil war kept an expeditionary army in Mexico, which posed a serious threat to the United States (see. London Convention 1861).

Napoleon III was running around with the idea of destroying the federation and partially restoring the former French influence in America.

The blockade of the confederation ports announced by the government of Latvia served as the most important tool for achieving a turning point in the war. But the blockade caused great discontent in England: the English cotton industry depended on the raw materials of the southern states. In April 1861, L. declared a blockade of all ports located from Virginia to the Mexican coast. The British ambassador in Washington, protesting against the blockade, threatened intervention in favor of the southerners. In May 1861, England, in response to the blockade, issued a declaration of neutrality. In June of the same year, France, Spain and Holland followed the example of England. Declarations of neutrality were seen as recognition of the confederation as a belligerent. But L., having correctly assessed the decisive military significance of the blockade, took a firm position on this issue. Southerners ordered warships from England and France to break the blockade. In 1862, despite the protests of the US government, they received two cruisers from England: Alabama and Florida. Difficult situation northern armies forced L. to come to terms with this fact. L. also showed compliance during the Trent incident, when an American warship stopped the English steamer Trent near Cuba and detained members of the southern mission heading to London and Paris. Considering the difficult military and international situation of the northerners, L. released the members of the mission. Thus, L. managed to deprive the British of a reason to break with the North and to recognize the independence of the southern confederation.

L. spoke differently with England when the northerners achieved a turning point in the war, and Washington’s international position strengthened.

5. IX 1863 one of the two warships ordered for the confederation was to be sent from Liverpool. US Ambassador to London Adams told British Foreign Secretary Rossel: “It would be superfluous for me to remind you, Lord, that this means war.” After 3 days, Rossel informed Adams that both ships built for the Confederacy would be detained in Liverpool.

Russia's friendly position played a significant role in improving the international position of the United States. Foreign Minister Gorchakov, in negotiations with the US envoy in St. Petersburg, Taylor, confirmed the existence of plans for the intervention of European powers in America and promised that Russia would reject the invitation to participate in the implementation of these plans that do not correspond to its interests. In 1863, the Pacific and Atlantic squadrons of the Russian fleet visited San Francisco and New York. The arrival of the Russian fleet in America was seen as great moral support for Latvia and the federation. Representatives of the Russian fleet were given a cordial welcome by US Secretary of State Seward. Russian sailors were warmly welcomed by various public organizations.

The issue of black emancipation occupied a large place in Latvia's foreign policy. The liberation of blacks (1. I 1863) attracted advanced social groups in England and France to the side of the northerners. However, in 1861-62 L. adhered to different tactics. In May 1862, when the commander of the southeastern front gave the order to free blacks in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, L. immediately canceled this order and, in a message to Congress, proposed to free blacks only with appropriate compensation to slave owners. In the first period of the war, L. considered it more important to maintain the resulting temporary, fluctuating buffer of border slaveholding states in a state of neutrality than to strengthen the position of supporters of the North in England and France.

In 1864 L. was elected president for the second time. The First International, represented by Marx, welcomed L. and the struggle that he waged against the southern slave owners. Lenin believed that this struggle had “the greatest, world-historical, progressive and revolutionary significance.”

14.IV 1865, two weeks after the fall of Richmond (the capital of the southern states), L. was mortally wounded by an agent of the slave owners Bus.

Diplomatic Dictionary. - M.: State Publishing House of Political Literature. A. Ya. Vyshinsky, S. A. Lozovsky. 1948 .

See what "LINCOLN, Abraham" is in other dictionaries:

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ... Wikipedia

Lincoln, Abraham- Abraham Lincoln. LINCOLN Abraham (1809-65), 16th President of the United States (1861-65), one of the organizers of the Republican Party (1854). During the American Civil War of 1861–65, unleashed by the planters of the South, the Lincoln government carried out a series of... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

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- (Lincoln) Lincoln, Abraham (Abraham) (Lincoln, Abraham), Uncle Abe (1809 1865) American statesman, 16th President of the United States. 1854 one of the organizers of the Republican Party, which opposed slavery. In 1861 1865… … Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms

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Lincoln Abraham- (Lincoln, Abraham) (1809 65), 16th President of the United States (1861 65). Born in Kentucky into the family of a poor farmer. He became a pioneer in the development of new lands with his parents when they moved to 3., eventually settling in Illinois. Was a member for... ... World history

Wikipedia has articles about other people with this surname, see Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ... Wikipedia

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- (Lincoln, Abraham) ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1809 1865), 16th President of the United States, was born into a farmer's family on February 12, 1809 near the present city of Hodgenville (Kentucky). In 1816 the family moved from Kentucky to Spencer County in southwestern Indiana, and in 1830 to... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

Lincoln Abraham (12/2/1809, Hodgenville, Kentucky, 15/4/1865, Washington), US statesman. Born into a working family of a farmer, a descendant of the first American settlers. From his youth he worked as a day laborer on surrounding farms... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Anatskaya A.

Lincoln Abraham (1809-1865), 16th President of the United States (1861-65), one of the organizers of the Republican Party (1854), which opposed slavery.

"Rumor says: 'A house divided in two cannot stand.' Likewise, our state, and I am convinced of this, will not be able to constantly be half slave-owning, half free.” Abraham Lincoln. Springfield, Illinois (June 17, 1858)

He was born in Kentucky into a poor family. Abraham's life was difficult and difficult; due to frequent moves, the boy often missed school, but, on the other hand, he diligently engaged in self-education and loved to read books. In 1830, the Lincolns moved to Illinois, where young Abraham ran for election to the state House of Representatives. He failed to win the hearts of Illinois voters the first time. However, subsequent attempts were successful, and Abraham Lincoln first achieved a seat in the state house, and then was even elected as a member of the Whig Party to the US Congress.

In 1856 he joined the newly created Republican Party. The Republicans dreamed of ending the spread of slavery, they sought to support the industry of the United States, and therefore contributed in every possible way to the introduction of high tariffs. An important part of their program was the creation of a law to distribute free land to settlers, which would help open the West to the country.

Lincoln becomes president

In 1860, the time came for the next presidential election. Lincoln was introduced as the Republican candidate. It was at this time that a split occurred in the pro-slavery Democratic Party, which contributed to the success of the fledgling Republicans.

Lincoln managed to defeat three of his opponents. His stay in the White House from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865 coincided with the most tragic period in US history - the Civil War. More than 600,000 people died during this war (360,000 on the Union side, 260,000 in the South).

The slaveholding states responded to the election of Abraham Lincoln with secession - secession from the Union and the proclamation of the Confederate States of America in February 1861. Almost all the steps taken during Lincoln's first presidency were related to the Civil War.

The issue of increasing customs tariffs was resolved. The US Congress passed the Morrill Tariff Act. This law doubled the customs rates of 1857 to almost 47% of the value of imported products. This decision made reconciliation with the South practically impossible.

The new Republican president championed an active government role in stimulating economic development. It is important to note that the main role in economic development it diverted the energies of small entrepreneurs rather than large capitalists. Lincoln was a sharp critic of the power of the economic elite.

“These capitalists usually act in concert and amicably, setting themselves the goal of robbing the people.”

Abraham Lincoln was against the spread of slavery to new territories, which undermined the foundations of slavery, because its extensive nature inevitably required expansion into the undeveloped lands of the West.

An important achievement of the Lincoln administration was the adoption in May 1862 of the Homestead Act, which provided for the possibility of each citizen acquiring a plot of land of 160 acres (64 hectares) for a nominal fee. The law dealt a severe blow to slavery. The Homestead Act stimulated a radical solution to the agrarian problem - the development of agriculture along the farm route.

Beginning of the Civil War

Republican victory on presidential elections rallied the southern states in the fight against anti-slavery forces. South Carolina passed the Ordinance of Secession on December 20, 1860. Other Southern states (Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas) supported secession, forming the Confederate States of America on February 8, 1861.

Lincoln remained silent, and in the meantime the seceding states captured almost all the federal forts, arsenals, post offices and customs houses within their territories. In his 1861 inaugural address, Lincoln chose persuasion, assuring the people of the Southern states that they had nothing to fear from a Republican administration.

However, the southerners remained deaf to this statement and on April 12, 1861, fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston Bay (South Carolina), where a garrison of federal troops remained. Thus began the bloodiest war in American history.

The outbreak of hostilities strengthened the secession movement. Virginia, which Lincoln hoped would remain loyal to the Union, seceded on April 17, followed within two months by Arkansas and Tennessee.

Governing the country during the Civil War became a heavy burden for the president. The range of his responsibilities was extremely wide - he developed military strategy, was responsible for recruiting hundreds of thousands of soldiers into the army, entered into fierce disputes with Congress over the liberation of blacks and changes in domestic policy.

As events unfolded, Abraham Lincoln's rather moderate, compromise position on the issue of slavery changed. The administration's main goal - the restoration of the Union - turned out to be unattainable without the abolition of slavery throughout the country.

The President realized that “slavery must die that the nation may live.”

Lincoln issues preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. It proclaimed that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states would become free. Politically, the Proclamation meant that the purpose of the war with the South was not only to preserve the union, but also to abolish slavery, and also led to the passage of the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which abolished slavery throughout the country.

President for the second time

In 1864, Lincoln won the fight for the second time presidential chair, receiving 400 thousand more votes than his Democratic rival, General J. McClellan.

The President was convinced that the emancipation of slaves should be legally enshrined. At his insistence, on January 31, 1865, Congress adopted the XIIIth Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibited slavery in the United States and came into force after its ratification by the states in December of the same year. One day he said: " When I hear someone speak out in defense of slavery, I have a strong desire to see how he would feel in the place of a slave.”

At the beginning of 1865, the imminent victory of the northerners was no longer in doubt. On the agenda were the problems of restoring the 11 seceded states as full-fledged subjects of the federation. Lincoln, back in December 1863, promised amnesty to all rebels subject to recognition of the abolition of slavery.

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address ended with the words: "Harmless to none, full of charity, firm in truth," Americans must "bind up the country's wounds... do all within their power to win and maintain a just and lasting peace in their home and with all the nations of the world." ".

Political assassination– political murder

On the occasion of the surrender of the Confederates, a public celebration took place in Washington. The next day, April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln's family went to Ford's Theater for a play. There, in the presidential box, an attempt was made on the president's life. The assassin who mortally wounded Lincoln was the fanatical supporter of the southerners, the actor John Wilkes Booth; he managed to jump out of the box, run to the stage and escape. A few days later, Booth was tracked down in Virginia and killed in a shootout.

The next morning, without regaining consciousness, the president died. Millions of Americans, white and black, came to pay their last respects to their president during the two-and-a-half week funeral train journey from Washington to Springfield, where Lincoln was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

The poet James Russell Lowell dedicated the following words to this tragic event: “Never before have so many people mourned the death of someone whom they did not even know by sight. It was as if on that terrible April morning they had lost a close friend, without whom their life had become cold and gloomy. More eloquent than any funeral speeches were those looks that silently strangers exchanged on the streets. Compassion shone in their eyes for each other - after all, the human race was orphaned."

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN(12.02.1809-14.04.1865)

Among the outstanding political figures of the world, the sixteenth president occupies a special place

3ent USA Abraham Lincoln. His presidency occurred during the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865 and claimed the lives of about 600 thousand Americans. Lincoln will forever be remembered in history as the man who prevented the collapse of the United States and freed the slaves. He is rightfully considered to continue the work of the “founding fathers” of the United States, the creators of American democracy.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Kentucky into the family of a poor farmer. His entire well-being depended on the piece of land on which Abraham's parents, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, worked. Since childhood, Abraham was accustomed to working, helping his parents cultivate the land, hunting and collecting wild berries. American farmers at the beginning of the 19th century. many dangers awaited. Indian attacks, epidemics, and land depletion forced them to frequently move from place to place. The Lincoln family was no exception. This prevented Abraham from even receiving a primary education. He himself spoke about it this way: “It is undeniable that when I came of age, I knew little. However, I somehow read, counted and wrote, and that was all I could.” His natural curiosity, excellent memory, and constant desire for self-education helped him out. He loved to read. His favorite books as a child were Robinson Crusoe, Aesop's Fables, and History of the United States.

Lincoln achieved everything in life through his own efforts. Having started an independent life at the age of 21, he tried many professions. He worked as a land surveyor, storekeeper, lumberjack, postal worker, and even fought with the Indians. For several years, Lincoln studied law, hoping to become a licensed attorney. His interests also included history and philology, and he independently studied mechanics and mathematics. Living among ordinary people, Lincoln managed to gain prestige through success in sports, especially wrestling.

Lincoln took his first steps in politics in 1834, when he was elected to the Illinois State Legislature, having undergone an excellent political school here and gaining authority among his colleagues. In 1836, Lincoln passed a difficult exam and received the right to practice as a lawyer. After becoming a lawyer, he moved to the city of Springfield. Lincoln began to earn good money for the first time in his life. To do this, he had to practice not only in Springfield, but throughout the judicial district. Every spring and fall, on horseback or in a buggy, he traveled hundreds of miles across the sparsely populated prairie from one village to another, sorting out the litigation of farmers. The cases were mostly small, and the fees for them were negligible. Lincoln achieved fame in the state of Illinois with his deep knowledge of jurisprudence and unselfishness.

The next step in Abraham Lincoln's political career was his election to the House of Representatives of the US Congress in 1847. Working in Congress opens up the opportunity to apply for a place in the government of the country. However, Lincoln failed to stand out among American legislators this time. Moreover, by opposing American aggression in Mexico and the policies of President Polk, Lincoln made many political enemies. The fact was that the United States at that time was pursuing an active policy of seizing the lands of neighboring countries, especially Mexico. With the help of weapons and money, Americans in the first half of the 19th century. increased their territory by 3.5 times. The majority of the country's population supported such government actions. Lincoln, being a staunch opponent of wars, strongly opposed the American invasion of Mexico. Assessing the actions of the government, he stated that “the political course of the Democrats leads to new wars, territorial conquests, and the further spread of slavery.”

An unsuccessful test of strength in Congress did not force Lincoln to abandon political activity. He had no intention of limiting himself to the work of a lawyer and joined the Republican Party, formed on February 25, 1854. At this time, the political struggle within the United States revolved around the issue of undeveloped lands in the west of the country and territories seized from other countries. The southern states, where the plantation slave economy flourished, wanted to extend slavery to new territories. The northern states, where there was no slavery, believed that these lands should go to free farmers and the industrial bourgeoisie. But the question of free land was only part of a more complex and important question for the United States about the future of the country as a whole: whether capitalist forms of property would develop in it or whether the plantation-slave system of the economy would prevail. The issue of slavery was very pressing. Throughout the civilized world it was condemned and the slave trade was prohibited. The United States, so proud of its democracy, continued to secretly buy slaves and import them into the country.

The blacks never accepted their terrible situation. They raised uprisings and fled to the North, but the planters of the South brutally suppressed the uprisings and rounded up the escaped slaves as if they were wild animals. In 1850, they won the right to hunt fugitive slaves throughout the country. Progressive people were sympathetic to the struggle of blacks and advocated the abolition of slavery in the United States. The most determined of them, uniting with the slaves, embarked on the path of armed struggle against the slave owners. So, in 1859, John Brown, having created a small detachment of whites and blacks, tried to raise an uprising for the emancipation of all slaves in the South. But the local population did not support the rebels, John Brown was captured and executed.

Abraham Lincoln was anti-slavery. As an 18-year-old boy, Lincoln visited New Orleans, the largest slave trading center in the South. He was shocked that people were being sold like animals at the city market. “I hate slavery because slavery itself is monstrously unjust.” - said Lincoln. But as a politician, he understood that attempts to put an end to the shameful phenomenon with drastic measures would only lead to war and the collapse of the state. He admitted to those close to him that the issue of abolishing slavery and preserving the Union of States was a very difficult problem for him. Therefore, he was extremely careful in his political statements.

Lincoln believed that preserving the Union was more important than all other issues. “Although I hate slavery, I would rather agree to its expansion than see the Union disintegrate,” he said. The prospect of a struggle between the South and the North of the country seemed to Lincoln like this: “A house destroyed by quarrels cannot stand. I am sure that the present government cannot be stable if it remains half slave and half free. I do not expect that the union will be dissolved, that the house will collapse, and I believe that the discord within it will cease. It will become either completely free or completely slave-owning.” Lincoln was confident in the possibility of a peaceful solution to the dispute between the North and the South. In his heart he hoped that if slavery were limited only to the southern states, then it would gradually die out. Slave labor led to the fact that the land was poorly cultivated and quickly became scarce, and planters, in order to make a profit from their farms, had to constantly expand the territories of their possessions.

Late 50s 19th century was a turning point in Lincoln's life. Actively participating in political disputes, he gained wide popularity in the country. Speaking in various parts of the country, Lincoln showed himself to be an intelligent and cautious politician. He did not support the demand for the abolition of slavery and tried with all his might to prevent a civil war. At the Republican Party meeting in Chicago, Lincoln was nominated as a presidential candidate. Now there was a difficult fight ahead with Democratic candidates supporting the slave owners of the South. During the election campaign, Lincoln, through restraint and the ability to avoid extremes, managed to convince voters and, having won the election on November 6, 1860, became President of the United States. president lincoln liberation slave

Lincoln found himself in a difficult situation. He had no experience in governing the country; a government had not yet been formed. Lincoln wanted to convince slaveholders to abandon the division of the Union. Meanwhile, circumstances required quick and decisive measures. The Confederates attacked and captured Fort Sumter. Two days later, Lincoln declared the Confederate states in a state of rebellion and called on “all loyal citizens” to come to the defense of the country. 75 thousand volunteers joined the army. A civil war began between North and South.

At first, Lincoln thought that the northerners would be able to quickly defeat the slaveholders. Indeed, the northern states occupied a large territory, most of the country's citizens lived there, and they had a well-developed industry. But the North was not ready for war. Many army officers - natives of the southern states - with the outbreak of the war went over to the side of the slave owners. In addition, in the northern states there were many supporters of the Confederacy, who in every possible way harmed the government troops. So the experience of governing the country and the army came to President Lincoln through the bitterness of defeats and failures. On April 12, 1865, a ceremony was held near the city of Appamotox for the southerners to surrender their weapons.

Lincoln began to restore order with the government. His kindness, fairness to his opponents, balance, humor and generosity allowed him to create a well-functioning government, consisting of both supporters of the emancipation of slaves and those who were inclined to reconcile with slave owners. Lincoln defined his task in the Civil War as follows: “My main object in this struggle is to save the Union, regardless of the preservation or destruction of slavery. If I can save the Union without freeing the slaves, I will do so; if I can save him only by freeing all the slaves, I will do so; if I can save it by freeing some of the slaves, I will do so.” The President skillfully maneuvered between the opinions of government ministers. He patiently listened to everyone, but made decisions on his own.

Two laws passed by Abraham Lincoln during the war were critical to the Northern victory and the subsequent development of the United States. According to the law on homesteads, anyone could receive a plot of land of 65 hectares for a symbolic fee of 10 dollars. With this, Lincoln attracted many people who wanted land to the army of the northerners, and laid the foundations of modern American farming. Another law signed by Lincoln on January 1, 1863 was the famous Emancipation Proclamation for Negro Slaves. Lincoln himself assessed the document as follows: “If my name ever goes down in history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.” The Proclamation, however, freed only the slaves of the rebel states. Lincoln feared that if slavery were completely abolished, the rebel states might be joined by those slave states that had not seceded from the Union. But when the Civil War was rapidly approaching its conclusion and the victory of the North was obvious, at Lincoln’s initiative the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was adopted, forever banning slavery.

Lincoln understood and loved his people, and American citizens responded with universal support. On November 8, 1864, at the next election he was elected president for a second term. On April 9, 1865, Southern troops under the command of General Robert E. Lee capitulated. The American Civil War ended, but the president became one of the last victims of this bloody war. On April 14, 1865, while the country was celebrating victory, Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head at Ford's Theater in Washington. After committing the crime, the murderer, actor John Boots, a fanatical supporter of the southerners, jumped onto the stage and shouted: “This is how tyrants die. The South is avenged!

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