Simone Lawson
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln is celebrated for his role in guiding the country through the Civil War and ending slavery. While Lincoln did not sign the original Constitution, he did play a pivotal role in shaping it through the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. Lincoln personally signed the joint resolution of the Thirteenth Amendment, despite it not being a legal requirement for him to do so, and also signed several ceremonial copies.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Did Abraham Lincoln sign the Constitution? | No, but he did sign the final Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 |
| Lincoln also signed the joint resolution for the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, and several ceremonial copies of the resolution |
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What You'll Learn
Lincoln's personal views on slavery
Abraham Lincoln did not sign the Constitution of the United States. However, he did issue the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of civil war. The proclamation declared that "all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."
> "What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views. I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free."
Lincoln favored a gradual approach to emancipation, believing that it would allow for the controlled management of freed slaves. He also hoped to persuade the border states of Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri to eliminate slavery, as their secession from the Union could result in the continued existence of slavery and the North losing the Civil War.
Lincoln's views on slavery were also influenced by his understanding of race. He once said, "If all earthly power were given to me ... [m]y first impulse would be to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia, — to their own native land." However, he recognized the immense difficulties in carrying out such a plan. Despite his personal views, Lincoln's primary focus was on saving the Union, and he was willing to make concessions on slavery if he believed it would help achieve that goal.
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Lincoln's signing of the Thirteenth Amendment
Abraham Lincoln did not sign the Constitution, but he did sign the Thirteenth Amendment on February 1, 1865. Lincoln's signature was not required by the Constitution, and the Senate later declared his act of signing the document unnecessary and inappropriate. However, Lincoln's signing of the Thirteenth Amendment was a significant moment in American history, as it abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States.
Lincoln made the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment his top legislative priority after winning reelection in 1864. He saw constitutional amendment as a more permanent solution to the issue of slavery and began working with Congress during its "lame duck" session to build support for the amendment. Lincoln's involvement in the effort to pass the amendment was not easy, but he actively campaigned for it, and his support helped to mount popular support for the amendment.
On January 31, 1865, the United States Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment, ending slavery in America. Lincoln wrote the word "Approved" and added his signature to the joint resolution. Unfortunately, Lincoln did not live to see the final ratification of the Amendment, as he was assassinated on April 14, 1865.
The Thirteenth Amendment was ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18, 1865. The amendment widened the scope of Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation to include the entire nation. The immediate impact of the amendment was to make the entire pre-war system of chattel slavery in the U.S. illegal.
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Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln did not sign the Constitution of the United States. However, he did sign the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which declared "that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious areas are, and henceforward shall be free". Lincoln's bold step changed the goals of the ongoing Civil War, giving it new moral and strategic implications.
Lincoln's decision was a last-ditch but carefully calculated attempt to preserve the Union and end the Civil War between the North and South. Initially, the war was fought by the North to prevent the secession of the Southern states and preserve the Union. Ending slavery was not a goal of the war. However, on September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which stated that enslaved people in those states or parts of states still in rebellion as of January 1, 1863, would be declared free.
The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation but it did fundamentally transform the character of the war. After January 1, 1863, every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom. The Proclamation also announced the acceptance of Black men into the Union Army and Navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 Black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom.
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Lincoln's involvement in the legislative process
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln's tenure as president began on March 4, 1861, and ended on April 15, 1865, 42 days into his second term. Lincoln was the first Republican president, and his election served as the immediate impetus for the outbreak of the Civil War.
Despite this deference, Lincoln did exercise his presidential powers and worked closely with Congress on critical issues. He contributed to the drafting and passage of legislation, particularly in military affairs during the Civil War. Lincoln's most notable involvement in the legislative process includes:
- The Kansas-Nebraska Act: Lincoln opposed this Act, which opened the territories to slavery, and it fueled his emergence as a leader in the new Republican Party.
- The Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation legally freed 3.5 million slaves in Confederate territory and established emancipation as a Union war goal.
- The Thirteenth Amendment: Lincoln played a crucial role in the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which made slavery unconstitutional.
- The Homestead Act, the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862, and the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862: Lincoln presided over the passage of these important domestic legislations.
- The Legal Tender Act and the National Bank Act: The Lincoln administration influenced economic measures such as these Acts, which had a profound impact on the country.
Lincoln's relationship with Congress was not without its challenges. Some historians argue that he had few friends in Congress and made little effort to conciliate them. However, Lincoln's relations with the legislative branch never completely broke down, and he worked collaboratively with Congress to address the pressing issues of his time, including the Civil War and the abolition of slavery.
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Lincoln's presidential oath and the Constitution
Abraham Lincoln did not sign the Constitution of the United States. However, he did play a role in shaping the oath of office that federal civilian employees and senators take to defend it.
The practice of taking an oath of office dates back to the First Congress in 1789. The original oath was simple: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States."
At the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, Lincoln ordered all federal civilian employees within the executive branch to take an expanded oath. This was a time of uncertain and shifting loyalties. The expanded oath, drafted during the Civil War in the 1860s, reads:
> "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
This oath is still in use today, with one-third of senators taking it at the start of each new Congress in January of every odd-numbered year.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Abraham Lincoln did not sign the Constitution. However, he did sign the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States and its jurisdictions, except as punishment for a crime.
Abraham Lincoln did not sign the Constitution because he was not a founding father. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, while Lincoln was born in 1809.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States and its jurisdictions, except as punishment for a crime.
Abraham Lincoln personally signed the joint resolution of the 13th Amendment, even though he was not legally required to do so, to signal the importance he placed on ending slavery.
Abraham Lincoln also signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which freed slaves in the Confederate states during the Civil War.
