the mind of a moonstruck mommy

Look to the Past

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.” stated Abraham Lincoln in his ‘House-Divided’ Speech in Springfield, Illinois, June 16, 1858.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America. He was also our most influential president; Lincoln was responsible for many incredible things, including~ populating the Great Plains, ending slavery, and keeping the Union in one piece! Even in death he brought the country together more than any other president (alive or dead) in American History.

The Homestead Act was passed and made into a law on January 1, 1863. It essentially said that if you lived somewhere, built a house, dug a well, and worked the land, after five years you would own that 160 acres. The Homestead Act, while far from perfect, helped to populate the Great Plains area and start to move more people out West. Without the guarantee of land people were afraid to start a new life so far away. Keeping true to form, Lincoln also made sure that freed and runaway slaves were allowed to benefit from the Homestead Act. It was one of many things Lincoln did to change the way African Americans were treated in the United States.

The Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment were two ways Abraham Lincoln tried to end slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all the slaves; it did however pave the way to freedom for all people in the Untied States. Lincoln gave the address in two parts; the first in September 1962 and the second on January 1, 1963. It did free slaves in certain states and it also stated that runaway slaves would no longer be returned to their owner. The 13th Amendment is where Lincoln finally freed the slaves. Although it was not necessary at the time, to show his overwhelming support he signed the Amendment before the states even had a chance to vote.

After Lincoln won the presidency many of the southern states succeeded from the Union. They did not want him as their President and thought they would be better off as their own Confederacy. Lincoln knew if he allowed this to happen it would be the end of the Union and America as they knew it. The Civil War began on April 12, 1961 and lasted almost exactly 4 years. Although it was the most expensive and had the most American fatalities of any war in our history it was also the most necessary. If Lincoln would not have been able to overtake the South who knows what shape the United States would be in today.

After Lincoln was assassinated on April 14th, and died the next day, his body began the most amazing tour of the United States. It took almost the same journey that he had taken when campaigning and was seen by more than one million mourners. He not only kept our country together in life, but brought our country together in death. Lincoln will always be remembered as the greatest and most significant president in American History

Wanna learn more about Honest Abe?? Check out these links!!

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum

The History Place

The White House Biography

Interested in the Homestead Act?? Go ahead… learn something:

Our Documents- Homestead Act

Teaching with Documents

Emancipation Proclamation– say that 5 times fast, then click here-

Our Documents- Emancipation Proclamation

National Archives & Records Administration

13th Amendment, not so unlucky after all~

Our Documents- 13th Amendment

The National Archives

Other interesting links:

The Center for Civil War Photography (pretty self explanatory)

Without Sanctuary (photographs of lynchings in America–very powerful and explicit images)

Confederate States of America (explains how the confederacy was formed)

Civil War dotcom (yep)

Mr. Lincoln’s White house (about Lincoln funeral procession)

The Museum of the Confederacy (I think you can figure this one out…)

Moonstruck Mommy