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| SKC Films Library >> American History >> United States: General History and Description >> Civil War Period, 1861-1865 |
 Abraham Lincoln's Administration, 1861-1865 |
| CONTENTS |
 An Overview of Lincoln's Administration Life in the United States during Lincoln's administration revolved almost entirely around the Civil War. To raise money to fight the war, Congress levied the first income tax in the history of the country. For the first time, federal officeholders had to take an oath of loyalty to the Union. Pioneers flocked to the western frontier, and mining towns sprang up overnight. The government gave free farms to settlers, and set aside land for colleges that later became state universities. |
 Abraham Lincoln was a successful lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, had served in the Illinois State Legislature and in the U.S. House of Representatives, but was virtually unknown outside of Illinois. He gained national recognition when he debated slavery with Stephen A. Douglas during an 1858 campaign for the U.S. Senate. Although he ultimately lost the senatorial election, his oratorical skills drew the attention of the newly-formed Republican Party, which nominated him as its first candidate for President in 1860. |
The Gettysburg Address was a 273-word speech delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of the bloodist battle of the Civil War. Despite its significance in history, the speech was actually not a major part of the dedication ceremony. |
 Mary Todd Lincoln From the moment she married Abraham Lincoln, Mary believed that he was destined to become President of the United States, and she did all she could to help him realize that ambition. Unfortunately, Mary's years in the White House brought her more sorrow than happiness. |
 John Wilkes Booth was a nationally known Shakespearean actor whose Confederate sympathies led him to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. |
 Thomas P. "Boston" Corbett was one of the men specifically chosen to pursue and capture President Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth. On April 26, 1865, despite orders to take him alive, he shot and killed Booth. Corbett became a celebrity, but was also also hounded by people who hated him for killing someone they admired. |
 Edwin McMasters Stanton was a very successful attorney who accepted a salary cut to become Attorney General in 1860. He subsequently served as Secretary of War under Abraham Lincoln, and it was President Andrew Johnson's attempt to fire him that led to Johnson's impeachment trial. |
| SKC Films Library >> American History >> United States: General History and Description >> Civil War Period, 1861-1865 |