Abraham Lincoln – Savior or Demon?

Level: Middle School Indiana Social Studies Standards: 8.1.20; 8.1.21; 8.2.3 Length: 3 days

Overview: By April, 1861, sectionalism, slavery, the tariff, and the election of Abraham Lincoln had caused a rift in the United States that would only be settled by four years of bloody conflict. The Civil War resulted in the deaths of over 600,000 men and even though the end result was the preservation of the Union, the transition of Reconstruction was anything but smooth. Abraham Lincoln served the nation as President during the war, but unfortunately was assassinated before he could see the process of Reconstruction through.

So what was Abraham Lincoln’s legacy? Was he a savior or a demon? In many cases it depends on who you ask and what part of the country they are from or live in. Most (but not all) from the North saw Lincoln as a great leader who did what needed to be done to save the Union. Indiana Senator Jesse Bright was expelled from the Senate for being a southern sympathizer. Many from the South decried Lincoln as a tyrant who trampled civil liberties, ignored the Constitution, and abused the power of his office. These attitudes have continued on going on one hundred fifty years.

Objectives:

1. Students will understand that Abraham Lincoln took unprecedented actions during the Civil War. 2. Students will be able to examine Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution and the delineation of powers to the Executive and Judicial branches. 3. Students will understand the right of habeas corpus. 4. Students will understand that some Hoosiers were sympathetic to the southern cause. 5. Students will be able to read and analyze letters and articles from the Civil War era. From these primary documents they will be able to identify how some in the North were friendly to the South and how Abraham Lincoln was either supported or villified depending on their regional preference.

Introductory Activity: Students will view pictures of graves from Gettysburg National Cemetery, Old Soldier’s Home Cemetery, and Morgan Co., IN. Students will discuss how the families of the men in these graves might feel about the war and the Commander-in-Chief. Activity One: The Expulsion of Senator Jesse D. Bright Students will read and analyze the Senate resolution of Senator Morton Wilkinson of Minnesota which includes the letter of Jesse Bright to Jefferson Davis. http://memory.loc.gov/ll/llsj/054/0100/01750175.gif http://memory.loc.gov/ll/llsj/054/0100/01760176.gif

Read the transcription of the Indianapolis Daily Journal Article of Feb. 7, 1862.

...There was no safety for the Government as long as he held his seat.... There has never been an hour since the rebels began the war that he would not have joined in any scheme to overthrow the Government, even if he had lost his position and pay as a senator, the things he holds dearest, to do it. He is an ingrained traitor, not because he is a desperate or peculiarly bad man, but because he is so little-minded that he cannot bear a government that is in the hands of Republicans .... A1l his acts, votes and language have been openly hostile or unkindly embarrassing to the government. He has associated and voted only with those who are either in the rebel ranks or aiding them by impeding and opposing the action of the Government.... We say his whole career is corroborative of the treason that lurks in his letter to Jeff Davis.

Was the Senate justified or was Jesse Bright a victim of his politics?

Activity Two: Political Cartoons of Lincoln’s Emancipation Students will observe the two very different interpretations of Lincoln writing the Emancipation Proclamation. They will identify three to five symbols found in each cartoon. http://gilderlehrman.pastperfect-online.com/33267images/004/GLC0049303.jpg http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3b50000/3b52000/3b52900/3b52929r.jpg

How do the two regions view Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation?

Activity Three: Separation of Powers - Lincoln vs. Taney For this activity divide the class into three groups. Using the copy of The Constitution in the textbook, one group will make a chart listing the powers of the legislative branch. Another group will list the powers of the executive branch. The third group will list the powers of the judicial branch. Each group will then report back to the class.

Which branch does have the power to suspend the writ of habeas corpus? Activity Four: Suspension of Habeas Corpus - Lincoln vs. Taney II The teacher will give students an overview of Roger B. Taney’s opinion in Ex Parte Merryman. http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=442

Students will read two newspaper opinions. http://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/22929 http://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/20012

Students will read Lincoln’s proclamation of Sept. 24, 1862. http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=425

Who won the battle between Lincoln and Taney? Do you think Lincoln was justified in suspending the writ? Did people in the state of Maryland agree? Can you think of a fairly recent parallel of this situation?

Assessment Activities: 1. Students will write three words to describe how people in the North felt about Lincoln. They will also write three words to describe how people in the South felt about Lincoln. The facilitator will then create wordles for the North lists and the South lists. Students will observe these and discuss.

2. Students will write three words for how they would describe each of these men: Abraham Lincoln, Roger B. Taney, and Jesse Bright. The facilitator will create wordles for each man. Students will observe and discuss.

Essential Question: Was Abraham Lincoln a Savior or a Demon?