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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Lincoln not free all slaves early in the Civil War?

2. How did Lincoln announce his desire for the Presidential nomination?

3. Which states gave Lincoln a ready supply of troops?

4. How did Lincoln participate in the 1862 elections?

5. What criticism was made of the Emancipation Proclamation?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Lincoln not liberate all the slaves early in the war?

2. What was the public's initial reaction to the Civil War?

3. How does Donald account for Grant's success in the West, such that Lincoln wanted to appoint him to run the Union army?

4. When does Donald locate the low point for Lincoln's administration?

5. What international crisis did Lincoln leave Seward to avert?

6. How did Lincoln handle the decision of when to liberate the slaves?

7. What problems did Lincoln have with General McClellan?

8. What major diplomatic problem confronted Lincoln at the end of the Civil War?

9. How did Lincoln change the command structure of the army in order to get better results out of General McClellan?

10. Describe General McClellan's campaign against Lincoln.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What were the benefits and what were the risks of Lincoln's cabinet of enemies? Did this arrangement ultimately benefit Lincoln? Did it hurt him? Discuss instances in which it was helpful or harmful.

Essay Topic 2

Why did Lincoln not emancipate the slaves early in the war? What practical factors led him to hold off on emancipation? Did he ultimately gain by waiting, or did he lose some authority or political capital by waiting for the right time?

Essay Topic 3

Were England and France--both of which had outlawed slavery and slave trading--hypocritical in opposing Lincoln's blockade of the South during the Civil War? What interests were they speaking for when they complained about the war's impact? Did their arguments reconcile with their humanitarian stance with regard to slavery, and if so how?

(see the answer keys)

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