Re-Election & Re-Construction
With America’s most deadly conflict, the Civil War, and the unstable economic conditions, Lincoln’s re-election as a President seemed to be doubtful and uncertain. Nevertheless, a master politician that he was, he worked hard to build the strength of the party, fetched support for his policy and fend efforts by Radicals to drop him in the 1864 elections.
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What resulted was a magnanimous win of Lincoln, where he gained support from all states, excepting three, and receiving almost 78% of the Union soldier’s vote. He had managed to bag 212 out of the 233 electoral votes. On March 4, 1865, Lincoln was official sworn in as the President and gave his second inaugural address.
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Post the re-election, Lincoln made reintegration of the Southern states and re-unification of the nation as the number one agenda on his list of to-dos. The administration of the Southern states was re-formed.
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While Tennessee was under the guidance of General Andrew Johnson, General Frederick Steele was the military governor for Arkanas. General Nathaniel P. Banks upheld the plans of restoring the statehood in Louisiana.
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Radical Republican, Salmon P. Chase filled up the chair of the Chief Justice in the Supreme Court. He was chosen, as Lincoln believed that he would uphold the emancipation which until then was applicable to selected states.
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Lincoln increased pressure on the Congress to abolish slavery for good throughout the nation and not in certain states only with the help of a constitutional amendment.
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The proposed constitutional amendment that would pave way for the exit door for slavery was brought before Congress but failed to pass in its first attempt. Later, it became part of the Republican/Unionist platform and eventually was passed in the second meeting. The passed bill was next sent to the state legislatures for ratification, with it becoming the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 6, 1865.
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The surrender of Lee at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia, in April 1865, official brought an end to the Civil War. His surrender brought forth the surrender of several other rebel armies and leaders.
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The unification of the states eventually led to the consequence for the name of the country ‘United States’. Though the Civil War was the most implacable of the conflicts in America, it did led to the dominance of a singular name, United States for the country by large.
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Lincoln was largely responsible for harbouring the sails of the American political system towards republicanism. At a time when the world focussed on the sanctity of the constitution, Lincoln believed that majority rule had to be restrained with the constitutional checks and limitations.
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Other than this, Lincoln during his term of presidency vetoed four bills, the most important one being the Wade-Davis Bill with its harsh program of Reconstruction which the Radicals had passed. He also was behind the creation of the first U.S. income tax on incomes greater than $800. He was also responsible for the creation of system of national banks by the National Banking Act.
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