The Views On Lincoln s Presidency - 1738 Words

Historian’s Views on Lincoln’s Presidency After reading several historians’ texts regarding Lincoln’s opinions and policies toward slavery, and the unification of a nation as a whole, I distinguished that several authors have contending visions of Lincoln’s actions during his presidency. Some authors (Dirck, Guelzo, Striner) portray Lincoln as the great emancipator in depicting him as a crusader whose main purpose during the Civil War was only to accomplish the abolishment of slavery. In contrast, some authors (Escott, Gates, Foner, and McPherson) maintain a more critical stance on Lincoln’s decision to abolish slavery citing that his main goal was solely to preserve the Union and not out of a personal resentment towards†¦show more content†¦During this time, Lincoln became a strong advocator against slavery which opens the door to many questions. Some historians believed that Lincoln was truly trying to protect African Americans and their freedom, however, several historians believe that Lincoln’s sole motivation was preserving the union. The reason historians question Lincoln’s intentions when it comes to abolishing slavery is because they believe he was simply trying to preserve the Union and in doing so, slaves would also be freed, but with no relation to Lincoln s personal affiliation with African Americans or slavery. The issue of slavery played a huge part in the Civil War, and during these four gruesome years President Lincoln held his ground and stood stable in his belief that slavery should and would one day be abolished. Some historians show skepticism in their narratives towards Lincoln’s intentions in the abolishment of slavery although. In works such as: Abraham Lincoln and White America, The End of Slavery in America and Father Abraham Lincoln s Relentless Struggle to End Slavery, the authors highlight Lincoln’s personal motives for the abolishment of slavery. These sp ecific historians choose to focus on explaining Lincoln’s character and how his personality played a role in his ideals on ending slavery. These authors depict Lincoln as the hero who liberated the slaves because it was what he felt a necessary justice. Author Richard Striner in his