How was Abraham Lincoln perceived during and after his presidency?
Abraham Lincoln was vilified during his presidency. It’s doubtful he would have received his party’s nomination for a second term, let alone be reelected until Sherman started winning in the south during the later months of 1864. The worst riots in the nation’s history occurred in New York City during his presidency in response to his announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation followed by the draft lottery in July 1863. Abraham Lincoln expanded the presidency by suspending the writ of habeas corpus which up to that time was considered to be a power granted only to Congress. He expanded the powers granted the presidency by the Constitution, when he relied on the powers (rights) granted by the Declaration of Independence when issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. The memory of Abraham Lincoln has changed over time. He was blamed for many of the ills resulting from reconstruction, yet by the mid to late 1880’s his image had been sanitized and was approaching deification. A few years l
