Page 64 - SurrenderTheBaggage-FBK

– The Second Pivotal Turning Point

Abraham Lincoln proved to be the second turning point
for America. This came in 1860 when Abraham Lincoln

led a coalition of abolitionists to form the newly
established Republican Party. Given the abolitionist

precepts of his party, the election was close and
contentious. Lincoln selected Hannibal Hamlin, a
Northern Democrat from Maine, to help keep the Union

intact, and secured a surprising upset win over rival

Stephen Douglas. However, Lincoln’s hope for
preserving the Union proved futile. Since the Republican
Party (later known as the “Grand Old Party”, GOP) was

openly opposed to slavery, southern states began to
secede from the Union, almost immediately after he was

elected.

Soon after Lincoln’s inauguration, Civil War broke out
(April 12, 1861). Initially, President Lincoln focused the
mission on reuniting the nation. On September 22,

1862, shortly after a Union Army victory at the Battle of
Antietam, he issued an executive order known as the

Emancipation Proclamation. This initial proclamation
announced that slaves in areas that remained in

rebellion, within the following 100 days, would be
declared by law to be free. The goal of that initial

proclamation was to encourage reunification of all

Copyright 2020 64