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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;johnmilton, post: 4404862, member: 101855&quot;]By 1864 many in the North had become war weary and were ready to make peace with the Confederacy. Lincoln was convinced as late as August before the November election that he would lose. To improve his chances, Lincoln dropped Republican vice president Hannibal Hamlin from the ticket and replaced him with Democratic Tennessee governor Andrew Johnson. Lincoln hoped that the resulting fusion ticket would win the election for him. Union military victories in Georgia and Alabama improved the Republican’s prospects, and the people elected Lincoln to a second term by wide margin over former Union general, George McClellan.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1106757[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Former Union general, George McClellan, was Lincoln&#039;s opponent in 1864. </b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; The phrase, “With malice toward none, with charity toward all,” set the tone for Lincoln’s second inaugural address. Many historians rate that inaugural address as among the finest ever delivered by a president. Lincoln’s plan was, “to let them (the South) up easy,” but it was not to be. On the night of April 14, 1865 John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater. Booth was a southern sympathizer who had not had the courage to join the Confederate cause during the war. His plan was to throw the Union government into chaos after the war by killing its most prominent leaders. Plots to kill vice president Andrew Johnson and secretary of state William Seward that same night failed.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Historians warn that it is risky to project what would have happened if a major event, such as a presidential assassination, had not occurred. Many people believe, however, that the reconstruction of the Union might have been easier had Lincoln been able to enact his policies. Even Confederate president Jefferson Davis admitted that Booth had done the South no favors.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Since his death Abraham Lincoln has become an American icon. A significant majority of historians rate Lincoln as the greatest United States President. His portrait has been reproduced on more coins than any other historical figure, and his monument in Washington, DC, the Lincoln Memorial, is a symbol of freedom recognized through out the world. Lincoln represented the best that American has had to offer. He was born to a low status in life, educated himself, built a career largely through his own efforts and saved the American experiment in democracy at a time when it faced its greatest challenge. Few figures in history have left a more enduring legacy.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1106766[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1106767[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b>This Lincoln medal by George Morgan is considered to be one of the most attractive medals that the Philadelphia Mint issued in the 19th century. </b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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