The Lincoln Essay Page

The Advanced Placement US History class has been studying the Civil War and the methods used by Abraham Lincoln to save the Union. Linked to this page is a set of essays written by the students in cooperative groups. Students had to develop a coherent thesis and support their opinion based on three or more primary sources.

The content of these essays is essentially the same, but the level of accuracy, the style of delivery and the documentation of sources all vary. We ask that you, the reader, review and comment on the essays. Please e-mail your thoughts, opinions, additional information, and constructive criticism to georgecassutto@hotmail.com.

Your messages will be discussed within our class, kept on record, and possibly posted to the website for others to read and discuss (if you prefer to keep your posting off the site, just include that note in your message).

It is our objective to help students prepare for the Advanced Placement US History Examination through the publishing and constructive review of these student essays. Please keep this in mind as you read their work.

The essays:

Using Lincoln's letter to Horace Greeley, outline Lincoln's main purpose for fighting the war. Relate his military and political goals with his views on the institution of slavery.

• Lincoln: Saving the Union
  
• Lincoln's Conflicting Ideals
  
• Lincoln's Main Goal
  
• The Union - the First Priority
  

Demonstrate how the Emancipation Proclamation exemplified Lincoln's views on the war and on slavery. Achieve this goal by describing the contents of the document and then discuss Lincoln's purposes in issuing it.

• Lincoln's Personal Beliefs Outweighed His Political Views
  
• The Emancipation Proclamation: Moral or Military Move?
  
• Lincoln Saved the Union