History Topics: Lincoln and the Republicans & The Balance Sheet of the War

Essay Questions
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Essay Questions
Question 1
Abraham Lincoln appeared to understand the great responsibility he had as a president of the United States. Therefore, he did not let personal matters interfere with his presidential role. In this regard, it is important to note that, when he lost his son, and subsequently his wife’s mental condition, he remained strong. Lincoln respected the presidency and he did not perceive it as a personal property. Therefore, he was focused on executing his mandate both as a president and as a person. On the other hand, he had a rather unique way of approaching the republicans. In fact, Lincoln is a typical example of a leader who stands for the truth, or rather a leader who stands for what was best for the United States. In particular, he led the abolishment of slavery, an issue that most republicans perceived as a betrayal of party interests. Therefore, he managed to separate personal interests from national interests, and he applied the same to the republicans, which made him achieve much for the Americans (Miller Center, 2015).
Question 2
The Union enjoyed a majority population of around 22 million, whereas the Confederate had around 6 million people. While there was a clear advantage for the Union, which came from the North, the South had an army that was almost equal in size to that of the North. The Union had a major strength, in that, the North enjoyed an industrial advantage, and at the beginning of the war, the Confederate had around a ninth of the Union’s industrial capacity. In comparison, the Union appeared to have an advantage over the south in various respects. The North had infrastructure; hence, made it easy to transport soldiers. The south lacked infrastructure, especially transport; hence, it was hard to transport food and armories to their army. In addition, the North controlled the navy, which made the Union control the seas. A major strength for the south was that the war was on their soil; thus, they managed to win on several occasions. A major weakness ...