Why Abraham Lincoln Deserve The Accolade “The Great Emancipator”

Introduction

An emancipator is a person who strives to ensure that the oppressed or humiliated groups of people in the society are bestowed with their rights and freedom. For example, American feminists developed and implemented numerous ideologies and movements in order to ensure gender equality is realized in all sectors such as education, political, employment, cultural and others. This paper pays high attention to the reasons why Abraham Lincoln deserves to be crowned with the great emancipator title.

First, Lincoln proofed to be a great emancipator through his life especially when he joined politics. He had been brought up in a poor background, and this made most people to outdo him when he ran for an election. However, instead of giving up from becoming a politician, he used this background status to raise his fame. He sensitized individuals that though his background is humble, he is equal to all other human beings. He strived to convince them that he was an average, regular common type of man to the extent that most individuals believed him and changed their negative mentalities to the poor people in the society (Martinez P. 62).

In 1954, Lincoln praised the founders to the Republican Party in the Northern states of America, for keeping slavery out of its constitution. In addition, during the republican state convention in 1858, Lincoln delivered a speech sensitizing the Northern American people not to live in a divided state. In this speech, Lincoln was discouraging some states (Southern States) to abolish slavery like the Northern parts of America (Gienapp 2002).

Moreover, when Lincoln was elected as the president of United States in 1860, he strived to abolish slavery at all means. At first, he and other republicans stood firm to denounce the extension of slavery in American territories. He then began to see emancipation as the ultimate tool to fight against confederacy. Most unions in southern states had put slaves in order for them to work the cotton and tobacco plantations. As the union war kicked off in the south, he understood its importance despite the bloodshed and ugliness that this war was associated with (Jackson 2014). He strived to win it in order to unite all Americans through the instituting freedom to both blacks and whites.

Consecutively, at the mid of 1862, Lincoln signed an act that required his army to accept and recruit blacks into the military in order for them to perform various duties in the camps. In September the same year, he issued another general order requiring them to liberate all captured slaves by the unions. He then changed their contraband status to prisoners of war. In addition, after the end of civil war in 1863, Lincoln delivered a healing speech requiring all Americans to enjoin in the healing process, and to avoid any vengeance acts (Johnson, 1963).

Conclusion

It is, therefore, evident that Abraham Lincoln deserves crown of the “great emancipator” through his various activities in his life. This is evident in the way he convinced people that he was equal to them despite his poor background, the abolishment of slavery among others. Through his undertakings, he emerged and remains as a hero in this contemporary society.

Work cited

Gienapp E. William, This Fiery Trial : Speeches and Writings of Abraham Lincoln – 02 edition, Oxford University Press, 2002.

Jackson Stonewall, Official Report On Civil War, retrieved on 17^th September 2014, from http://www.civilwar.net/searchofficialrecords.asp?searchofficialrecords=Jackson%201st%20Bull%20Run

Martinez, Susan B. The Psychic Life of Abraham Lincoln. Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books, 2007. Print.

Johnson Hannah, A Documentary History of Slavery, Freedom and the Civil War, Buffalo [N.Y.] July 31 1863. Retrieved from   http://www.learner.org/workshops/primarysources/emancipation/docs/hjohnson.html