Abraham Lincoln's Early Life and Career

• Born to poor family in Kentucky, moved to Indiana then Illinois
• Self-taught lawyer, clever and astute in practice
  • Famous case: exposed lying witness using almanac to prove moon phase inconsistency
• Entered politics serving in local and national assemblies
• Rose through ranks with powerful anti-slavery speeches

Pre-War Political Tensions and Slavery Debate

• Founding fathers left slavery question deliberately vague
• North vs South developed different economic systems
  • North: rapidly industrializing cities, no slave dependence
  • South: labor-intensive plantation agriculture, economically dependent on slavery
• 1793: Eli Whitney's cotton gin exploded slave trade in South
• Growing abolitionist movement in North created mistrust

Missouri Compromise and Territorial Expansion

• 1819: 11 free states, 11 slave states - perfect balance
• Missouri statehood threatened balance
• Missouri Compromise solution: Missouri slave state, Maine free state
• Established line prohibiting slavery above 36°30' parallel
• Pattern repeated with each new territory/state admission

Compromise of 1850 and Kansas-Nebraska Act

• California statehood as free state upset balance again
• Compromise of 1850: California free, Utah/New Mexico territories decide by popular sovereignty
• Fugitive Slave Act allowed slave catchers in North
• 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed slavery vote despite being above Missouri Compromise line
• "Bleeding Kansas" - pro/anti-slavery settlers rushed in, violence erupted
• John Brown killed pro-slavery settlers in revenge raid

Growing National Tensions

• 1852: Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" exposed slavery cruelty
• 1854: Republican Party formed with Lincoln as leading figure
• 1856: Charles Sumner beaten with cane on Senate floor after anti-slavery speech
• 1857: Dred Scott decision - African Americans couldn't be citizens
• Politicians carried weapons in Congress for self-defense

The Human Reality of Slavery

• 4 million enslaved individuals in America
• Stolen from homelands, considered property for generations
• Forced labor sunrise to sunset, barbaric punishments
• Families regularly separated, children auctioned away
• Underground Railroad helped escapes, bounty hunters pursued
• Many Northern anti-slavery positions economic, not moral

Lincoln's Position and John Brown's Raid

• Lincoln viewed slavery as moral evil, spoke against it powerfully
• 1858: "House divided against itself cannot stand" speech
• Wanted to prevent expansion, not immediate abolition
• October 1859: John Brown's Harper's Ferry raid failed
  • Captured by Robert E. Lee, executed for treason
  • Northerners sympathized, Southerners feared more uprisings

1860 Election and Secession Crisis

• Lincoln won Republican nomination despite being relatively unknown
• Name didn't appear on 10 Southern state ballots
• Won by electoral college landslide
• South felt outnumbered, lost voice in federal government
• South Carolina seceded first, 11 slave states followed over 6 months
• 4 border states remained in Union

Confederate Justification and Lincoln's Response

• South Carolina cited Northern hostility to slavery
• Mississippi declared position "thoroughly identified with slavery"
• Confederate VP called racial inequality "great truth"
• Robert E. Lee sided with Virginia over Union
• Lincoln traveled to DC under heavy disguise due to assassination threats
• Inauguration speech: reiterated no intention to take slaves, called secession illegal rebellion

Fort Sumter and War Begins

• Confederates seized federal property throughout South
• Fort Sumter off Charleston held by small US force
• Confederate demand for surrender denied
• April 12, 1861: Confederates fired first shot
• Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers, Davis called for 100,000
• Both sides expected quick war

Early Military Challenges

• South: 5 million population vs North's 22 million (plus 4 million slaves)
• North's generals too old/cautious: Winfield Scott too fat to mount horse
• Union strategy: naval blockade, control Mississippi River, take Richmond

First Battle of Bull Run

• July 1861: First major battle at Manassas
• Civilians came to picnic and watch from nearby hills
• Union flanking maneuver initially successful
• Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson held defensive position
• Confederates sent Union forces running back to DC
• Sobering reality of war hit both sides

Lincoln's Leadership Challenges

• Cabinet and generals didn't respect him initially
• Seen as friendly old grandpa who loved stories and puns
• Committed controversial wartime acts: suppressed media, arrested without trial
• Critics called him tyrant, Lincoln: "It's war baby, what are you gonna do"
• Made George McClellan new commanding general

McClellan's Failures

• Believed he was nation's great savior
• Kept Lincoln waiting, went to bed when president visited
• Maddeningly cautious, constantly demanded more troops
• Refused to move for rest of 1861

Grant's Western Successes

• Fighting in Kentucky and Tennessee
• Cool, collected, methodical, heavy drinker
• Staff kept him sober during campaigns
• Fort Donelson: demanded "unconditional surrender" - earned nickname
• April 1862: Victory at Shiloh despite heaviest casualties in US history so far
• Lincoln defended Grant against criticism

Personal Tragedy and Peninsula Campaign

• February 1862: Lincoln's son Willie died of typhoid fever at age 11
• Lincoln devastated but kept moving forward with composure
• March 1862: Ordered McClellan to move south toward Richmond
• McClellan chose peninsula approach, attacking from southeast
• Landed and moved inland, vastly outnumbered Confederate force at Yorktown
• Confederate General Magruder deceived McClellan about army size
• Month-long siege gave Confederates time to retreat

Lee Takes Command

• McClellan advanced to within 20 miles of Richmond
• Robert E. Lee took command of Confederate forces
• Lee's strength: ability to read enemy's mind, knew McClellan was cautious
• Brought Stonewall Jackson south for reinforcements
• Series of fast-paced battles spooked McClellan into retreat
• Peninsula Campaign failed, McClellan returned to DC

Naval Warfare and Second Bull Run

• Union navy captured key ports including New Orleans
• Both sides began using ironclads
• General John Pope sent to attack northern Virginia
• Defeated at Cedar Mountain, camp raided, defeated again at Second Bull Run
• Wilmer McLean's family caught in fighting again, moved south

European Intervention Threat

• UK considering diplomatic intervention for Confederacy
• Missing cotton supply due to Union blockade
• After McClellan's Richmond failure, UK declared North couldn't win
• Lincoln needed victory to prevent European involvement
• Decided time right to make war about ending slavery

Antietam Campaign

• Lee invaded North hoping to threaten DC, gain European recognition
• September 13, 1862: Union soldier found Lee's battle plans wrapped around cigars
• Plans showed Lee had split his forces
• Battle of Antietam: most vicious fighting to date, single bloodiest day in American history
• North finally victorious, Lee forced to retreat
• McClellan failed to pursue, Lincoln fired him

Emancipation Proclamation

• September 22, 1862: Emancipation Proclamation issued
• January 1863: All slaves in Confederate states officially free
• Northern free blacks rejoiced for enslaved brothers and sisters
• Intended effect on Europe: wouldn't oppose pledge to end slavery
• Confederacy outraged - war now about creating new union without slavery
• No longer just preservation of Union, but ending America's "original sin"