Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Advent of the Civil War
After reading pages 502-504 and 510-515, do you feel Lincoln responded appropriately to the circumstances in which he took office (secession, push towards war, etc.)? Of course explain your answer giving as many specific details as possible. Post two comments, the first being your answer to the question, and the second a response to your classmates. Enjoy!!!
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Lincoln’s decisions during the first year of his presidency are generally appropriate, however not all acceptable. By March 4, 1861 South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas had already seceded. By February they created the Confederate States of America, and elected Jefferson Davis, a Mississippi senator. This entire time, President Buchanan—a pro-Southern—did barely anything to preserve the Union. Under these conditions, Lincoln was placed in a situation where he could not compromise as he had to deal with such extremes. On one end were the secessionists; on the other side were the abolitionists. Lincoln knew that northern businesses needed the south; however he wouldn’t force them to return. War—it was known too well—would be the only way to make the south return.
ReplyDeleteThen, just over one month after he took office, on April 12th, the civil war began at Fort Sumter. Even though people in the north despised Lincoln almost as much as they hated the secessionists, Lincoln was still able to rally support and get state militia volunteers. Quite appropriately, Lincoln sent the message that the war would be short. In fact, he only asked for soldiers for 90 days.
But Lincoln was not completely successful. Some border states went to south, and he was only able to garnish Maryland through unconstitutional manners. After routing troops around Baltimore, Lincoln was able to get Maryland, and as a result Missouri and Kentucky stayed with the Union.
Lincoln,as did much of the United States, realized that war was almost inevitable towards the ends of Buchanan's presidency. All of the deep south had already seceded, and many border states threatened to follow suit.
ReplyDeleteHowever, just because Lincoln knew a war was coming, doesn't mean he should have disregarded measures to delay the conflict. Attempting to postpone the war could have had many benefits for the north. For example, after the deep south seceded, the border states waited and evaluated the north and south before choosing a side. However, Lincoln's quick lashings against succession pushed Virginia and others to join the Confederacy. Keeping Virginia would have provided many of the nation's best generals, including the famous Robert E. Lee.
Furthermore, delaying the war could have provided the valuable time needed by the north to retool its powerful factories for war. The north had one factory for every factory worker the south had. Yet, the time taken to implement this advantage, accounts for initial Union losses.
Lincoln did an excellent job on dealing with secession and the eminent civil war. once Lincoln entered office and 7 states have already suceded. Lincoln immediatly sent troops to attempt to South Carolina to keep Fort Sumter in what we now call the union side of the civil war. he was also forced to deal with the ever growing confederate states of america, and deaing with keeping border states in the union.
ReplyDeletei agree with chris in the aspect that Lincoln could have delayed the war for the purpose of keeping virginia, however things turned out fine for the north anyway in the end
ReplyDeleteAt the point and time, it seems that Lincoln did the best thing for the country. His main, and initial goal was to keep the country whole and after several states in the deep south had already seceded, he knew he had to take action in order to keep this goal. Although the quick influx of troops did not bode well with the southern states, it seems that it was necessary, especially at such a crucial moment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chris that it was not the optimal thing to do, but everyone knew that war was basically inevitable. Lincoln did not really have other choice because then more southern states would've tried to separate as well
ReplyDeleteWhat Lincoln did at the time seemed like a good idea and what was best for the country. After many of the states in the south suceded he knew he would have to try to keep the country somehwat together. He tried to send troops down to South Carolina but that did not seem to go very well and the war soon began.
ReplyDeleteI think Chris makes some valid points, however, I disagree to some extent. The Union enjoyed an economic advantage. The north produced goods valued at $1.5 billion annually--according to our book--while the south only produced $155 million annually. I think that if Lincoln were to delay, it should have been becaue the north lacked trasury. They already lead in factories.
ReplyDeleteChris also makes a really interesting point about the generals in border states. However, who is to say that if Virginia was apart of the Union, Robert Lee would have fought with the same vigor.
I agree with Chris because Lincoln did try to delay war even though he knew it was uneveitable. And he pushed the other states away which just made everything worse.
ReplyDeleteComing into office, Lincoln had to pick up at a terrible point in American history when the nation was splitting in two. A Confederate States of America had been formed before he was even in office. Since the previous President Buchanan had done almost nothing to prevent a split, it was Lincoln's duty to preserve the Union.
ReplyDeleteAlthough he tried to appease the South by saying he would not touch slavery where it already exist and return runaway slaves, both sides of the country were too divided to come to compromise. The only other option for Lincoln to preserve the nation was to go to war.
Overall, Lincoln handled the situation he was given appropriately by sticking to his Unionist ideals and attempting to unite the country back together.
Lincoln definitely dealt with the "secessionitis" outbreak the best that he could at the time. LIncoln may not have been able to regain South Carolina, however he realized that cicil war was lurking, and took the initiative to be prepared for it, and was successful.
ReplyDeleteI like how Chris mentioned Lincoln's tactic of delaying the war in order to prepare for it.
ReplyDeleteLincoln's decisions in office were overall the best way to handle the fragile situation that America was in during the years before the civil war. However, like any president, some of his decisions proved to provide a disadvantage for the Union. Lincoln's half-hearted attempts to avoid a war with negotiation may have been the reason our nation was caught in such a bloody war in the first place. But once the war had begun, I feel that Lincoln took the best interests of the nation into account. He did not only think of the Union once the Confederacy had seceded, he still felt he was responsible for the nation as a whole, as it had once been. And that in my opinion is the most honorable decision he made.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chris on the idea that Lincoln should have at least attempted to delay the war as much as possible instead of rushing into it. Since his expectations of fighting a fast and easy battle were not realized, the Union was caught with little preparation for a lengthy war, which could have been avoided.
ReplyDeleteI think Lincoln used very good judgement with the way he handled secession and how he pushed for the war. When Lincoln took office many Southern states had already seceded and many of the border states were also threatening to leave the Union. Everyone knew that a war was the only practical way to end the slavery problem and reconcile the Union. He had tried other things such as sending the troops down to South Carolina but it was clear that the Civil War was absolutely necessary. Unfortunately some of the border states joined the Confederacy but the Union was still able to establish a strong militia and beat the Confederate states.
ReplyDeleteI think that Chris brings up a very good point that if Lincoln would have delayed the war more they could have gained the support of many border states such as Virginia. Also that the abrupt start of the war actually pushed the border states into the Confederacy.
ReplyDeleteLincoln believed that the nation could no longer endure the split of being half- slave and half- free, and he was right. He wanted to keep the country together. Lincoln tried his best to appease the south by peaceful reconstruction. He campaigned against the expansion of slavery beyond the states in which it already existed. Even though he was reasonable with the issue of slavery, he took drastic measures after Fort Sumter was bombarded. By calling for state militia volunteers he pushed quickly towards the war. However, his drastic measures were necessary at the time. His early actions illustrated his fine leadership skills.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chris' idea that the war could have been delayed in order to keep Virginia. However, the war was inevitable and the North benefited on their own.
ReplyDeleteBy the time the deep south states had seceded, the turmoil within the country had escalated to a point where war was highly probable. The time of trying to find agreements was quickly passing by, and even then many of the "agreements" were just concessions for the South. Lincoln's mindset when he took office was one that refused to compromise with anything that betrayed his core beliefs. However, in his inauguration speech, he actually said that he would not touch already-established slavery. His speech at first made him appear conciliatory and weak, but when Fort Sumter fell, Lincoln was quick to act. Although a little more patience might have indeed won the North some advantages, like the support of the border-Southern states, the prospect of war itself was already a likelihood and pretty much unavoidable. With the prospect of war constantly looming over the country, and Lincoln's impatience to compromise any further, his actions, although not entirely justifiable, seem at least understandable.
ReplyDeleteChris M. makes a fantastic point about how the North could have waited to win over the favor of Virginia.
ReplyDeleteWhile some of Lincoln’s decisions appear questionable in hindsight, I believe he reacted toward secession to the best of his ability. When he took office, several states had already seceded, and compromise was beyond impossible. Taking aggressive action to secure border states was his way of asserting leadership over the Union and showing the Confederacy that they wouldn’t leave without a fight. While the quick call to arms did push some border states south, it helped to solidify the Union.
ReplyDeleteLincoln called upon state militias, expanded the navy, and became the only president to suspend habeas corpus, all without the approval of congress. While these acts might not have exactly been constitutional, he didn’t have time to wait for congress to be in session and decide upon the issues. Yes his actions were hasty, and yes, there was no money in the treasury, but Lincoln’s actions were appropriate for the circumstances.
I thought it was interesting how Chris brought that Robert E. Lee was from Virginia, which we may have retained had Lincoln not acted so quickly. It points out one of the thousands of "what ifs" in history.
ReplyDeletePresident Lincoln was forced to make unity his top priority upon taking office in 1861. The country was splitting in half and the southern states were seceding left and right. A war was inevitable, and Lincoln embraced the hope that it could eventually bring the country back together. Overall, I feel that Lincoln responded appropriately to the circumstances in which he took office.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chris's and Melinh's comments that Lincoln could have perhaps gained more advantages for the North had he been more patient. Examples like the swayed decisions of the border states help to illustrate this point.
ReplyDeleteBefore Abraham Lincoln took office in 1860, secession of the southern states had begun and the Confederate States of America were well on their way to being a "country". Even at Lincoln's inaugural speech, Federal troops had to surround the capital due to a fear of invasion by the seceded southern states. Lincoln even offered to comply with the Fugitive Slave Act and not interfere with the practice of slavery in the south. In this case, I believe his actions were well qualified, as all Lincoln simply wanted to do was keep the nation united. Former president Lincoln had said it himself, with the slavery conflict, the House would fall divided eventually, and a war was truly inevitable. With all the issues and especially since the secession of several states, there seemed to be no other way to answer the question of slavery than war. Lincoln was forced to constantly watch everything he said and each action taken. The threat of another state seceding into the open arms of the Confederacy was just too ominous to ignore, especially when related to states like Missouri, Kansas and Maryland. All in all, Lincoln truly did act to the best of his ability during a time of hardship and extreme division in a century old country.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Laura. Lincoln needed to act as quickly as possible even if that meant acting unconstitutionally by suspending habeas corpus as well as other military actions. I like the way she mentioned that in combination with how Lincoln secured the border states. These border states definitely were key in helping the Union at the very beginning of the fighting,
ReplyDeleteLincoln was an extremely wise man and proved his intelligence to us through his actions during the time of secession. After Lincoln took office, multiple southern states started to secede, tearing the nation in half. In order to keep the peace, Lincoln realized that war was necessary if he had any chance of restoring the Union. Lincoln even addressed this issue in his inaugural speech saying that the Union would have to fall apart before coming back together.
ReplyDeleteI like how Carlee mentioned the other states that were on the verge of seceding, like Kansas, Maryland, and Missouri. It showed how Lincoln really had to act quickly in order to stop more states from breaking from the Union.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think Lincoln acted well after taking office. While other presidents didn't take much action to solve problems, Lincoln took immediate action in trying to secure the country (or what was left of it). While it may seem like a better idea to act more diplomatically than aggressively, Lincoln didn't really have much of a choice. With several states already "gone" by the time he took office, it was obvious that there was no way that Lincoln could talk the states into coming back to the union. War couldn't be avoided, and based on that, Lincoln acted accordingly. Sending in troops to Fort Sumter might have been aggressive, but it was really the best thing he could've done for the nation and its security. So overall, despite the fact that Lincoln's actions were questionable, they were acceptable based on the situation of the country.
ReplyDeleteI think Laura makes a good point about some of Lincoln's actions such as suspending habeas corpus. If Lincoln waited for Congress to process his actions, there is no way they would have gone into effect quickly enough to make a difference. The situation called for quick actions, not neverending legal processes.
ReplyDeleteLincoln did as much as he could have upon taking office in terms of opposing the dissolution of the union. He and most other republicans at the time had shared the same opposition to the sucession movement. He did all that he could to preserve the union in a well thought out process. However, the Southern states would not comply, which was made clear with the failure of the Peace Conference of 1861 and with the absolute refusals of any succeeded states to rejoin the union. The use of diplomacy was a good attempt to solve the conflict, but was not practical. Aditionally, Lincoln tried to avoid war at all costs unless attacked by the confederacy, which was ultimately what happened at Fort Sumpter. Thus, Lincoln had used reasoning and appropriate methods to attempt to avoid major problems after being elected.
ReplyDeleteI must disagree with Chris because Lincoln did not want a war at al and did try to avoid it. It was the confederate agression that caused the war.
ReplyDeleteIt was apparent at the beginning of Lincoln’ presidency that a war would erupt. With seven states already seceded, and a hatred growing more and more toward him, Lincoln did the best he could to try and keep the country united. It was deemed impossible for both the south and north to come to an agreement on the slavery issue (as no sort of compromise could ever seen to be made in the years past) so war was inevitable. It was only a matter of time before it would have come regardless of Lincoln’s actions to send troops down to South Carolina.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that Isha described Lincoln's half-hearted attempts as to what caused the war. I think regardless of what attempts or compromises he tried to make, the country would inevitable end up in a messy situation.
ReplyDeleteAt the time of Lincoln’s inauguration, the country was in a tense and divided state. Seven of the deep south states had already seceded, and the border states were on the fence regarding secession. Lincoln, in his inaugural address, had to take precautions not to offend the Confederates, in fear that they would attack at any moment. Thus, Lincoln did not make any radical decisions in his speech. His primary goal was to argue that the nation was perpetual and indissoluble and to remind everyone of the real issue at hand. In response to Lincoln’s inaugural address, Douglass and Allston both declared Lincoln to be weak, timid, and conciliatory. There is some truth to their critique because Lincoln didn’t make any substantial efforts to stop the war from occurring, but that’s because he was under the assumption that it was inevitable. Therefore, Lincoln’s decision to wait and see the Confederates’ next move was probably the best for the on-edge nation.
ReplyDeleteI think Chris’s discussion of winning over Virginia, as an unsure border state, was a good example of how Lincoln could have possibly delayed the war.
ReplyDeleteI believe President Lincoln did everything he could to try and preserve the union in the begginning of his presidency. By the time he took office 7 states had already seceded. Being in the situation he was, i believe that he had done the best that he could. Letting the south make the first move and attack fort sumter was an excellent strategy. After this had taken place it was a major propaganda tool to get the north to enlist in the union army. Lincoln also expanded the navy and prepared northern factories for war. However, the northern factories were what failed the union for the first two years of the war because they could not produce enough guns and ammo for the union in the begginning. However i believe the most important thing lincoln approached correctly was his constant preaching of re-constructing the union.
ReplyDeleteI agree with chris's point about James Buchanan. When Lincoln entered office, much of the turmoil was because of James Buchanan's poor work ethics. This is sort of how the country was a mess economically when Barrack Obama took office(Except not as drastic)
ReplyDeleteWhat Lincoln did at the time seemed like a good idea and what was best for the country. After many of the states in the south suceded he knew he would have to try to keep the country somehwat together. He tried to send troops down to South Carolina but that did not seem to go very well and the war soon began. War couldn't be avoided, and based on that, Lincoln acted accordingly. Sending in troops to Fort Sumter might have been aggressive, but it was really the best thing he could've done for the nation and its security. So overall, despite the fact that Lincoln's actions were questionable, they were acceptable based on the situation of the country.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that Isha described Lincoln's half-hearted attempts as to what caused the war. I think regardless of what attempts or compromises he tried to make, the country would inevitable end up in a messy situation. Neither side was truly willing to compromise which in the wnd would have started the war too.
ReplyDeleteI think Lincoln did respond appropriately to the circumstances because he recognized that war was inevitable - they were already in too deep to turn back. A lot of the South had already seceded and the only way to unite the 2 halves was to fight. Sending troops may have seemed premature, but it was necessary. There was no point in prolonging the matter. He did what he had to do - cut to the chase and ultimately get the country back together.
ReplyDeleteChris makes a great point:
ReplyDelete"...after the deep south seceded, the border states waited and evaluated the north and south before choosing a side. However, Lincoln's quick lashings against succession pushed Virginia and others to join the Confederacy."
I hadn't considered that postponing an attack might have helped the North in the numbers game. However, at the same time, they already outnumbered the South, so I think immediate attack was a good reaction on Lincoln's part.
I like Alexis's point that Lincoln only used military in situations that he thought were necessary. He tried to keep the nation united, but war was inevitable at that point.
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