The Civil War Presidents

The Civil War Presidents: 

The Civil War Presidents

Abraham Lincoln: 

Abraham Lincoln 16th President of the United States Born in Hardin County, Kentucky in 1809 In a one room cabin to uneducated parents Considered the frontier at that time Parents were anti-slavery Shunned religion at an early age Family moved to Indiana in 1815 due to legal troubles concerning land claims, then to Illinois by 1830

Lincoln’s Early Career: 

Lincoln’s Early Career formal education of about 18 months of schooling from unofficial teachers Read voraciously 1832 Lincoln begins his political career campaigns for the Illinois General Assembly as a Whig (won) Also served as a captain in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War

The Law: 

The Law Became a very prominent lawyer in the prairie states Lincoln served four successive terms in the Illinois House of Representatives In 1846, Lincoln was elected to one term in the U.S. House of Representatives Lincoln taught himself the law and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1837.

Family Life: 

Family Life On November 4, 1842, at the age of 33, Lincoln married Mary Todd. They had four sons, but only one made it to adulthood Upon leaving the U.S. House, he returned to his law practice. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 drew Lincoln back into politics

Lincoln gets elected: 

Lincoln gets elected Lincoln-Douglas Debates Election of 1860 Secession occurs- Fort Sumter Lincoln calls on all governors to send 75,000 troops to help “preserve the union” Lincoln keeps the border states in the Union by promising to not interfere with Slavery He was strict with rebel leaders

The Confederate Leader: 

The Confederate Leader Jefferson Davis was born on a farm in Christian County, Kentucky in 1808 His father, along with his uncles, had served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War He began his education in a log cabin schoolhouse Attended Catholic school

Military Training: 

Military Training In 1824, Davis entered the United States Military Academy (West Point). He completed his four-year term and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1828 after he graduated. His first combat assignment was during the Black Hawk War in 1832

Private Life: 

Private Life Davis marries his colonel’s, Zachary Taylor, daughter Sarah Knox Taylor The marriage proved short. The newlyweds both contracted malaria, and Davis's wife died three months after the wedding Retired to his Mississippi plantation A decent slave master

Slide10: 

The year 1844 saw Davis's first political success, as he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, taking office on March 4 of the following year. He married again on February 26, 1845, this time to the socially prominent Varina Howell. Rejoined the military as a colonel during the Mexican-American War

The U.S. Senate: 

The U.S. Senate Because of his war service, the governor of Mississippi appointed Davis to fill out a Senate term in 1847, and was elected to serve the remainder of his term in January 1848. Would leave the Senate to run for Governor of Mississippi, but will return in 1858. Though an opponent of secession in principle, Davis upheld it in practice on January 10, 1861. On January 21, 1861, he announced the secession of Mississippi, delivered a farewell address, and resigned from the Senate.

From General to President: 

From General to President Four days after his resignation, Davis was commissioned a Major General of Mississippi troops. On February 9, 1861, a constitutional convention at Montgomery, Alabama named him provisional president of the Confederate States of America and he was inaugurated on February 18. In meetings of his own Mississippi legislature, Davis had argued against secession; but when a majority of the delegates opposed him, he gave in.

Tries to make Peace: 

Tries to make Peace He immediately appointed a Peace Commission to resolve the Confederacy's differences with the Union, before the bombardment of Fort Sumter Offer to pay for any Federal Property on Southern soil Pay the Southern portion of the national debt

The War Begins: 

The War Begins He was inaugurated on February 22, 1862. On June 1, he assigned General Robert E. Lee to command the Army of Northern Virginia, the main Confederate army in the Eastern Theater. Davis has received criticism over his conduct of the military affairs of the Confederacy. Until late in the war, he resisted efforts to appoint a general-in-chief, essentially handling those duties himself on January 31, 1865, Lee assumed this role, but it was far too late for him to establish a grand strategy that could achieve success. Davis was responsible for the strategy of defending all Southern territory with ostensibly equal effort, which diluted the limited resources of the South and made it vulnerable to coordinated strategic thrusts by the Union into the vital Western Theater