Abraham Lincoln 13th Amendment Analysis

After being reelected President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln had one major goal he wanted to accomplish. He wanted to make sure the emancipation proclamation, a document that granted slaves freedom, would remain intact when he was no longer in the oval office. To ensure their freedom, he needed to pass the Thirteenth Amendment. Passing the Amendment would not be an easy task! Obtaining votes from opposing Democrats would be a challenge. With rumors of the civil war ending soon, he had to work fast. If the war ended before the vote, it was unlikely the amendment would be passed. To his avail, on January 31, 1865, the House of Representatives voted to sign the Thirteenth Amendment. Lincoln, the movie, portrays the months …show more content…
Lincoln had worked as hard as he could to change the votes in favor of his amendment. All he could do now was wait and see if his hard work had paid off. Before the vote could take place, Representative Ashely spoke up asking about a peace treaty. The group decided they could not make the vote if a treaty was on the table. A gentleman ran to the white house to ask the president about the issue at hand. Lincoln responds by writing, “So far as I know there is no peace commissions in the city or are there likely to be” (Lincoln). Democrats were not satisfied with this answer, but there quarrels over the President’s response were dismissed. With the matter resolved, the House then decided it is now time to hold the vote. Starting with Connecticut, representatives’ starting voting. The house was in an uproar when Democratic representatives voted “yes” for the amendment. 119 to 56 voted in favor of the thirteenth amendment. Slavery was forever abolished! To gain public interest, Hollywood added a bit of drama to keep people on the edge of their seats. Overall, Lincoln appears to portray the events and encounters that led up to the vote pretty …show more content…
He knew slavery was wrong and he wanted ensure every person was free. Slavery, a terrible wrongdoing, had to become a thing of the past. America was not a barbaric civilization. Our country was civilized and all men should be allowed to be free. Bravely stepping out on a limb with one goal in mind, Lincoln never gave up. He spoke to each House Representative to convince them to do the right thing and ensure freedom for slaves. Bribing the representatives would have made his job easier; however, he ensured no laws were broken. Torn between being a good husband or understanding father, he had to disappoint someone he loved dearly. Mary wanted to protect her eldest son from the dangers of war. Robert wanted to run into battle like any other man his age. Ultimately, in the end, Lincoln made another hard decision to allow his son to join the army. After years of fighting and many lives lost, the end of the war was in sight! Blair’s Peace negotiations with the South had turned into the acknowledgment that the only way to end the war was through surrendering to the Union. Finally, when the thirteenth amendment passed, the president was finally open to discussing terms with the southern