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Lincoln vs. The Press



Abraham Lincoln was a man of many talents. From an emancipator, to politician,  a military leader, and many others... but what is not often talked about was his manipulation of media during the civil war. Did Lincoln violate the rights of citizens protected under the constitution or did he do what was best for the nation?

During the time of the Civil War, the federal government restricted the first amendment, specifically freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Journalists and newspapers were restricted. You could have even been arrested if you were to speak out against the draft, enlistments, and even income tax.

Lincoln and Military General John McClernand
history.com
During this time union generals believed it was best to restrict the publishing of battle plans to the  for military gain. Lincoln ordered union generals to hinder the release of battle plans and restricted the press from releasing military information and battle plans. This oppression of the press soon caused many to speak out against Lincoln and his efforts of union propaganda. This soon became a debate among the Lincoln administration.

As a result of these protests, Lincoln and his administration, the military arrested new paper editors and closed their presses. Arrests of editor from Freeman's Journal for treasonous statements, the office of the Sunday (now Washington) Chronicle, and also arrested the editors of the New York World. Lincoln truly believed that these restrictions on the press would help the North win the war.

Theres was much controversy over Lincolns free speech restrictions. One side believed that these restrictions were justifiable as wartime powers. While, others believed that it was an infringement of their rights. The constitution does prohibit Congress from making laws that restrict freedom of speech, however Lincolns actions could've been justified based on the presidents war powers under the constitution.

In the summer of July 1861, Lincoln stated in a speech “Must a government of necessity, be too strong for the liberties of its own people, or too weak to maintain its own existence?” (Wilson 2006: 78).  In this statement shows that Lincoln put the survival of the nation before the protections of the first amendment. Personally, I believe that although Lincolns actions may have violated the rights of the people, overall it may have been a necessary evil at the time.

Sources:
https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1059/civil-war-u-s
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Mxz-GwPtmn4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=%22civil+war%22+%22northern+press%22+%22lincoln%22&ots=QNzl46bIc9&sig=m30ulhBh1TwP-XPHE4_pzOmE8AU#v=onepage&q=%22civil%20war%22%20%22northern%20press%22%20%22lincoln%22&f=false


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