Lincoln, Abraham (1809–1865)

Abraham Lincoln is an example of a leader who greatly affected a social justice movement by providing leadership during a complex of interrelated historical moments. Lincoln did not participate in a social justice movement for strictly moral, religious, or ethical reasons. Lincoln, most famous as the 16th president of the United States, took office during a time of great political, economic, cultural, and social turmoil that was largely due to slavery. Lincoln is often credited with freeing the slaves with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. It was a series of related events, however, including an existing abolitionist movement in the North, the secession of the Southern states from the Union, and the victory of the North in the Civil War that resulted in the abolition of slavery. As president, Lincoln inherited the problems associated with slavery, including divided public and [Page 861]political opinion. To his credit, Lincoln was a decisive leader during this time, and his actions and political decisions maintained the union and nationalized the social justice agenda for freed slaves and future generations of African Americans.

Elected to office in 1860, Lincoln was faced with the immediate issue of secession of seven southern slave states. In campaign speeches, Lincoln had stated that he would try to prevent the practice of slavery from moving westward after the acquisition of several new territories. The Southern states decided to form the Confederate States of America rather than face the possibility that slavery would be eliminated altogether. In 1861, the Civil War officially began. The Confederacy grew by four when violence over secession began. Although the issue leading the Confederacy to secede was slavery, the issue that compelled Lincoln to wage war was the preservation of the Union.

During and because of the Civil War, Lincoln invoked and exercised presidential powers more than any other president. Not all his actions and decisions were sanctioned by the Constitution. He assumed power over the press, thereby violating a fundamental civil liberty. In another questionable civil liberty action, in 1861 he suspended the writ of habeas corpus, which allows imprisoned individuals to come before the court to determine whether they are lawfully imprisoned. He also instituted a mandatory draft of armed services and used armed military men to quell draft riots.

In 1863, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves in Confederate states were free from the bonds of slavery. The fact that the freed slaves were also encouraged to join the Union army demonstrates that Lincoln may not have had purely altruistic, moral, or even justice motives for issuing the proclamation. A further problem with the Emancipation Proclamation is that from a legal standpoint, Lincoln had no authority in the Confederate states because of their secession. Nor did he move to free slaves who were within his jurisdiction.

Although Lincoln demonstrated contradictory personal attitudes about slaves and slavery—as evidenced in his personal correspondence, public speeches, and commentaries—his political decisions did ultimately lead to the elimination of slavery. A by-product of the Civil War and the preservation of the Union was that slavery was questioned and eventually abolished. Lincoln serves as a valuable example of the complexities of history and historical issues. On the one hand, he violated many constitutional provisions and liberties during his tenure as president, and on the other hand, he made valuable and timely decisions during the Civil War that served as a catalyst for the eventual abolition of slavery.

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