Free Essays on Lincoln

Did Abraham Lincoln Free the Slaves? Abraham Lincoln was the reason that the slaves got emancipated when they did. Without Lincoln’s efforts the slaves would have stayed enslaved for awhile longer. No one for sure can say how long they would have stayed enslaved, but it is a fact that they would have not been emancipated when they did if it wasn’t for Lincoln. When Lincoln won the presidency he pronounced slavery as a moral evil that must come to and end. By stopping the expansion of slavery, and by not retreating from Fort Sumter, he provoked the south to secede from the Union. This was vital for the emancipation of the slaves, he needed the country to stay united, but the north had to have to upper-hand. He was the commander and chief of the Union, without him and his efforts the Union may not have won the war. Slaves started to fight together with the Union, because they too also new that if they wanted to be freed the Union would have to win, and there only hope was Lincoln. Some people would say that the slaves won their own freedom, but that is untrue. Without Lincoln winning the presidency, no other presidential nominee understood how critical it was to free the slaves. Without his great leadership in the Civil War the Union might not have ever won, which would have put slavery on a hold. Instead if the South would have won, slavery would have expanded and been less of an issue. Lincoln was the man who was reelected into office when the people that elected him for the second time already knew his view on slavery and could have voted otherwise, but they didn’t. It was Lincoln’s push that freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation. It also was his great leadership skills that reconstructed Southern cities, from post-war damage that made people in southern states view him more of an ally. He is the single reason that the 13th amendment eventually got passed. Of course Lincoln wasn’t the so... Free Essays on Lincoln Free Essays on Lincoln The Election of 1860 By the election of 1860 profound divisions existed among Americans over the future course of their country, and especially over the South's "peculiar institution," slavery. During the presidency of James K. Polk (1841-1849), the United States had confirmed the annexation of Texas to the Union, negotiated a treaty with Great Britain for the Oregon territory up to the 49th parallel, and, as a result of the Mexican War, added California and New Mexico as well. The American eagle now spanned the entire continent, a source of nationalistic pride to those who thought expansion was the fulfillment of both God's will and America's mission to spread its republican institutions. But national exuberance turned sour when Americans confronted the issue of whether slavery should follow the flag into the new territories. During the 1850s, different views about slavery's expansion and its place in America's future fueled suspicion and bitterness between northerners and southerners. In Kansas, the qu estion of whether the territory would be opened or closed to slavery erupted in violence and political unrest. "Bleeding Kansas," the treatment of fugitive slaves, and other issues involving slavery strained and then shattered the nation's two-party system which had served for a generation to weld sections and interests into two powerful national institutions. Of the two major parties, the Whig organization totally succumbed in the mid-1850s to the sectionalizing effects of the slavery issue and ceased to operate as a national party. Like the country, the Whig party could not exist half slave and half free. Meanwhile, the Democratic party managed to remain intact throughout that decade, but slavery acted like a solvent to weaken its bonds. Increasingly, its powerful, predominantly southern wing was at odds with a smaller, northern contingent. The campaign of 1860 accurately registered the country's precarious condition after a de... Free Essays on Lincoln Did Abraham Lincoln Free the Slaves? Abraham Lincoln was the reason that the slaves got emancipated when they did. Without Lincoln’s efforts the slaves would have stayed enslaved for awhile longer. No one for sure can say how long they would have stayed enslaved, but it is a fact that they would have not been emancipated when they did if it wasn’t for Lincoln. When Lincoln won the presidency he pronounced slavery as a moral evil that must come to and end. By stopping the expansion of slavery, and by not retreating from Fort Sumter, he provoked the south to secede from the Union. This was vital for the emancipation of the slaves, he needed the country to stay united, but the north had to have to upper-hand. He was the commander and chief of the Union, without him and his efforts the Union may not have won the war. Slaves started to fight together with the Union, because they too also new that if they wanted to be freed the Union would have to win, and there only hope was Lincoln. Some people would say that the slaves won their own freedom, but that is untrue. Without Lincoln winning the presidency, no other presidential nominee understood how critical it was to free the slaves. Without his great leadership in the Civil War the Union might not have ever won, which would have put slavery on a hold. Instead if the South would have won, slavery would have expanded and been less of an issue. Lincoln was the man who was reelected into office when the people that elected him for the second time already knew his view on slavery and could have voted otherwise, but they didn’t. It was Lincoln’s push that freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation. It also was his great leadership skills that reconstructed Southern cities, from post-war damage that made people in southern states view him more of an ally. He is the single reason that the 13th amendment eventually got passed. Of course Lincoln wasn’t the so...

The Difference Between an Embassy and a Consulate

The Difference Between an Embassy and a Consulate Due to the high level of interaction between countries in our interconnected world of today, diplomatic offices, such as embassies and consulates, are needed in each country to aid in and allow such interactions to occur. Ambassadors are their countrys government representatives abroad in matters between the two countries. These offices also provide services for potential emigrants and international travelers. Although the terms embassy and consulate are often used interchangeably, the two are different. Definition of an Embassy An embassy is larger and more important than a consulate and is described as a permanent diplomatic mission, which is generally located in a countrys capital city. For example, the United States Embassy in Canada is located in Ottawa, Ontario. Capital cities such as Ottawa, Washington, D.C., and London are home to nearly 200 embassies each. An embassy is responsible for representing the home country, for handling major diplomatic issues (such as negotiations), and for preserving the rights of its citizens abroad. The ambassador is the highest official in the embassy and acts as the chief diplomat and spokesperson for the home government. Ambassadors are typically appointed by the highest level of the home government. In the United States, ambassadors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Usually, if a country recognizes another as being sovereign, an embassy is established to maintain foreign relations and provide assistance to traveling citizens. Embassy vs Consulate By contrast, a consulate is a smaller version of an embassy and is generally located in the larger tourist cities of a country, but not the capital. In Germany, for instance, the U.S. consulates are in cities such as Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich, but not in the capital city of Berlin. The embassy is located in Berlin. Consulates (and their chief diplomat, the consul) handle minor diplomatic issues such as issuing visas, aiding in trade relationships, and taking care of migrants, tourists, and expatriates. In addition, the United States has Virtual Presence Posts (VPPs) to assist people around the world in learning about the United States and the areas in which the VPP is focused. These were created so that the United States could have a presence in important areas without physically being there. The areas with the VPPs do not have permanent offices and staff and are run from other embassies. Some examples of VPPs include the VPP Santa Cruz in Bolivia, the VPP Nunavut in Canada, and the VPP Chelyabinsk in Russia. There are about 50 VPPs worldwide. Special Cases Though it might sound simple that consulates are in larger tourist cities and embassies are in capital cities, this is not the case with every instance in the world. Jerusalem One such unique case is Jerusalem. Though it is the capital and largest city in Israel, no country had its embassy there until President Donald Trump decided to move the U.S. Embassy there in 2018. Instead, most of Israels embassies are in Tel Aviv because most of the international community does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital. Tel Aviv is identified as the capital because it was the temporary capital of Israel during the Arab blockade of Jerusalem in 1948. Jerusalem remains home to many consulates. Taiwan Few countries have an official embassy in Taiwan to establish representation due to the uncertainty of Taiwans political status with regard to mainland China, the Peoples Republic of China. As such, the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other countries do not recognize Taiwan as independent because it is claimed by the PRC. Instead, the United States and the United Kingdom have unofficial representative offices in Taipei that can handle matters such as issuing visas and passports, providing assistance to foreign citizens, trade, and maintaining cultural and economic relationships. The American Institute in Taiwan is the private organization representing the United States in Taiwan, and the British Trade and Cultural Office fulfills the same mission for the United Kingdom there. Kosovo Not every foreign country recognizes Kosovo as independent (as of late 2017, 114 do), and just 22 have established embassies in its capital of Pristina. There are several other consulates and other diplomatic posts in the country as well. It has 26 embassies abroad and 14 consulates. Former British Empire The member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations (mostly former British territories) do not exchange ambassadors but instead, use the office of high commissioner between member countries. Mexican Consulates Mexico is distinct in that its consulates are not all confined to large tourist cities, as is the case with the consulates of many other countries. For example, although there are consulates in the small border towns of Douglas and Nogales, Arizona, and Calexico, California, there are also many consulates in cities farther from the border, such as Omaha, Nebraska. In the United States and Canada, there are currently 57 Mexican consulates. The Mexican Embassies are located in Washington, D.C., and Ottawa. Countries Without U.S. Diplomatic Relations Though the United States has strong diplomatic ties to many foreign nations, there are four with which it does not currently work. These are Bhutan, Iran, Syria, and North Korea. For Bhutan, the two countries never established formal relations, and Syrian relations were suspended in 2012 after the war started there. However, the U.S. is able to maintain varying levels of informal contact with each of these nations by using its own embassies in nearby countries or through representation by other foreign governments. However foreign representation or diplomatic relationships occur, they are important in world politics for traveling citizens, as well as for the economic and cultural matters that result when two nations have such interactions.