Both invoke his aid against the other. Lincoln added to the idea of a more perfect union during his second inaugural speech. For these reasons alone, the book is worth reading. By the time Lincoln became President in March 1861, replacing the ineffective James Buchanan, seven southern states had left the Union – all before Lincoln’s election was certified on February 15, 1861 in Congress. Lincoln was the candidate of the newly created Republican Party, which officially wanted to limit the expansion of slavery. Accordingly, on the legal merits (as well as on the battlefield), Farber makes clear that the correct party prevailed on the secession issue in the Civil War. In the end, the southern states did take part in the Electoral College process, and Lincoln’s election was certified in Congress in February 1861. It was very like Lincoln. The Civil War nearly split our nation. The Unpersuasive Case For Secession - and the "Compact Theory". He needed a majority of votes in the Electoral College to win the election. As the votes were counted, Lincoln had about 40 percent of the popular vote and 180 electoral votes, compared with 133 for his opponents combined. Especially with civil liberties issues repeatedly arising, now that the war on terrorism is in progress, it may be instructive to look back at the constitutional questions Lincoln confronted so long ago. Rodger D. Citron is an attorney in Washington, D.C. The Comparisons Between Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln ... most powerful cabinet officers and how Lincoln managed to use them in winning the Civil War and preserving the Union… Inevitably, his actions led to clashes with other branches of government over the assertion of his authority. All rights reserved (About Us). Lincoln shared the sympathies that the Jacksonians professed for the common man, but he disagreed with the Jacksonian view that the government should be divorced from economic enterprise. But Lincoln’s victory didn’t happen on that day, and his victory wasn’t assured for months. I will not blame them for doing what I know not what to do.”. But Lincoln went further than simply putting black men in blue uniforms. Farber says no, though he also contends that the case for secession was not frivolous. Maybe they fear the repercussions if they disagree — such as being called “a stone-cold loser” and “a washed up guy” (John Bolton), or “pathetic” (Dr. Deborah Birx). After the war, in Ex Parte Milligan, the Supreme Court granted the gentleman's habeas corpus petition. Farber believes that Lincoln's conduct of the war demonstrates the need for a strong federal government in wartime. Lincoln appointed Grant to this rank, and in the summer of 1864, although Meade remained with the Army of the Potomac, it was Grant who now decided the course and tactics of those Union soldiers. On the New York Times’ Disunion blog, Jamie Malanowski provided a detailed depiction of the scene in Springfield as news of the national votes rolled in. “By putting his rivals in his cabinet, he had access to a wide range of opinions, which he realized would sharpen his own thinking. Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the turnover rate in his “A-Team” has been 88% — not including positions that changed more than once, or cabinet positions. Farber reviews a number of actions taken by Lincoln in response to the military crisis - such as "calling up the militia, deploying the military, and imposing a blockade." His approach was to call out, isolate and vilify his opponents for whatever opinions they may have about him and his leadership. Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly, The Pandemic, the President and the 25th Amendment, The Constitution Drafting Project: Libertarian and Progressive Constitutions, Lynne Cheney: Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation. Lincoln knew it was his mission to erase that line and help the nation heal collectively in order for it to survive. The rival Democrats had split into two factions, with Stephen Douglas and John Breckinridge running against Lincoln, and another new party, the Constitutional Union Party, also fielding a candidate. © 2020 Advance Local Media LLC. Or what if a unified front to avoid secession could convince enough “faithless electors” to switch sides to derail the election? But the southern secession threats cast a pall over the upcoming Electoral College voting process: What if the southern states refused to take part in the Electoral College? 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