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Why Did Abraham Lincoln Want To Die Essay

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Imagine that your role model was killed even though he or she was a good person and helped countless people. This became a reality for millions of Americans and people worldwide on April 14, 1965 when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Ford’s Theatre as he was watching a play (“Abraham Lincoln”). His killer was John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer (“Abraham Lincoln”). Though some may disagree, Abraham Lincoln did not deserve to die because he was a good president and an advocate for civil rights. Lincoln is best known for his efforts in the Civil War, but he also made many steps to improve the United States. He supported and signed the Homestead Act, which allotted 160 acres each of western to poor settlers (“Homestead Act”). This expanded the country and gave new opportunities to people, which stimulated the economy. Lincoln also signed the Morrill Act, which established schools of mechanics and agriculture in each state, improving the level of education, leading to an improved economy (Norton). Two more of Lincoln’s notable contributions to the improvement of the country are the National Banking Act, which …show more content…
In a time when people were able to own other people and discrimination was the norm, Lincoln saw all Americans as equals, “regardless of ancestry or race or station in life,” (McGovern, 2009). He was an adamant advocate for civil rights, and in 1863, he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, officially freeing slaves in the South (McGovern, 2009). This Proclamation allowed former slaves to enlist in the Union Army and Navy, which was one of the first steps in the American fight for racial equality (McGovern, 2009). President Lincoln’s role in emancipation was instrumental in the subsequent successes of the United States and its establishment as a progressive world power, so he should not have been

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