Day+3

Connections to Today - Comparing 1860 to 2008
 * Activity 8

** Abraham Lincoln - U.S. President #16 Barack Obama - U.S. President #44

Some historians have discussed the 2008 election as the most important since the election of 1860. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and Barack Obama in 2008 were each extremely significant and impactful. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican elected as President of the United States and many southerners felt that his election would mean an end to slavery if they did not do something about it. Upon the secession of a number of southern states in early 1861, Lincoln soon led the remaining states in the Union through a long and deadly Civil War. In September of 1862 President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring free any slaves in the rebelling Confederate states. Lincoln's work to reunite the Union and establish the freedom of some slaves led to the 1865 passing of the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States and was passed after Lincoln's assassination. Soon after the thirteenth amendment, in 1868 and 1870 respectively, the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were added to the Constitution, which redefined citizenship and voting rights to ensure the enfranchisement of African-Americans.

One hundred and thirty-eight years after the fifteenth amendment declared that citizens could not be denied the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" African-Americans voted in record numbers to elect the first African-American president of the United States, Barack Obama. While Obama's ancestors were not slaves, millions of Americans whose ancestors were enslaved voted in the election of 2008 to elect Obama. While African-American initially voted almost exclusively Republican based on it being the party of Lincoln, over time those voting patterns have shifted and the Democratic Party now has the stronger African-American following. As the Democratic candidate in 2008, Obama recieved 95% of the African-American vote. While African-American voters made up just 13% of voters in 2008, in some states, such as North Carolina, the African-American vote appears to have swung the victory to Obama.

While the election of each presidents was historically significant, the two men also share important personal characteristics. Both men can be characterized as eloquent public speakers and possessing calm demeanors. Physically both men can be described as tall and thin, and socioeconomically, they came from similarly humble beginnings. Meanwhile, Obama has modeled himself after Lincoln in his "team of rivals" approach. Lincoln famously brought along his Democratic competitors to fill key cabinet positions in his government. Obama has followed suite, asking Joe Biden to be his vice-presidential running mate, and after being elected, appointing his most serious opponent in the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State.

Follow the link below to view the electoral college map of the results of the 2008 election. What similarities and differences can you note between the election of 1860 and of 2008? []