Abraham Lincoln attempted to enter in politics when he was twenty-three years old, with little education and no experience. In his letter to the people of Sangamo County, he admitted that he is young and unknown. He expressed trust in the people and the decision they would make whether or not to elect him. This time they chose not to elect him, but he did win a significant number of votes. Although he had limited education, he believed that education was important.
In 1834, Lincoln was elected and in 1936, he ran for reelection. To the editor of the Sangamo Journal, he announced that he believed all white people should be able to vote as long as they paid taxes, including females. Lincoln believed government played a critical role in organized society and announced that he himself would be governed entirely by the will of the people. What people could do for themselves, he said, should not be handled by the government were acquainted.
In 1841, Lincoln broke off his engagement with Mary Todd and suffered from depression. A couple years later, they were reunited and married. In a letter to his wife in April 1848 he teases her: "I am afraid you will get so well, and fat, and young, as to be wanting to marry again. Tell Louisa I want her to watch you a little for me"(Gienapp Kindle Locations 371-372). Lincoln was estranged from his father. When his father was close to death, Lincoln did not visit him, nor did he attend the funeral.
Lincoln was uncomfortable with organized religion and never joined a church. He did not deny the truth of the scriptures but he never spoke too extensively on his beliefs. He was a private individual and did not tend to express his emotions. Upon leaving Springfield to head to Washington, he broke this mold. He spoke to the crowd and revealed "No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting" (Gienapp Kindle Locations 1242-1243).
Slavery became the central issue of Lincoln's political career in 1854. Lincoln was anti-slavery, but critical of abolitionists. He wrote "that the promulgation of abolition doctrines tends rather to increase than to abate [slavery's] evils" (Gienapp Kindle Locations 187-188). Lincoln believed slavery was an injustice that dehumanized African Americans and that made the United States look like hypocrites.
Lincoln opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He accused Stephen Douglas in a senatorial debate of "blowing out the moral lights around us" (Gienapp Kindle Locations 811-812) if slavery were to be allowed in the new territories if they became states. He was not in favor of outlawing slavery where it already existed, but he believed it should not be allowed to extend any further than it already existed. He did, however, think that slavery would ultimately be outlawed in all of the United States, which is what the founding fathers wanted to eventually take place.
While Lincoln believed slavery was morally wrong, he did not believe in the equality of the races. He was "in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race" (Gienapp Kindle Location 827).
Lincoln had strong beliefs about the important of keeping the law. He also was a firm believer in diligence and against procrastination. He believed free labor was the best option which allowed people to benefit from the work they did. He also thought that labor and education were compatible.
Lincoln thought the Republican party should try to do everything they could do to work with the Confederacy and not respond out of passion. But he believed the rebels could not be appeased. He stated that "Even though the southern people will not so much as listen to us, let us calmly consider their demands, and yield to them if, in our deliberate view of our duty, we possibly can" (Gienapp Kindle Locations 1137-1138). The Confederacy would only be happy if the Republicans stopped calling slavery wrong, which they would not do.
After Lincoln was elected, he wrote to assure the South that he would not interfere with slavery in the South, directly or indirectly. In his inaugural address, he firmly denied that a state had the right to secede, calling it "anarchy" (Gienapp Kindle Location 1326). He pledged to bring the Union back together and believed it could be done without bloodshed. He stated that there was no conflict unless the Confederacy was the aggressor.
After the attack on Fort Sumpter, Lincoln called for 75,000 troops to serve for three months, but did not declare war on the Confederacy. He called citizens of the Union "to favor, facilitate and aid this effort to maintain the honor, the integrity, and the existence of our National Union" (Gienapp Kindle Locations 1381-1382).
Lincoln felt sure that the government of Maryland would attempt to secede. He authorized the Union General Winfield Scott to do whatever was necessary to keep Maryland from seceding. In parts of Maryland, Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus. He justified these actions in a speech to Congress.
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