French students have some questions

[brtmchl]

We also cannot put the the death toll or the war squarely on Lincoln's shoulders. The political pressure cooker was about to blow for decades before Lincoln took office. Manifest Destiny, The Mexican War, westward expansion and the already civil war that had erupted in Kansas were not on Lincoln's watch. To use a phrase that has been overdone but actually fits The State of the Union Lincoln was elected to, " I inherited that."
The Civil War also came at a point in history when technology was far superior ( especially in the realm of weaponry)than our Military tactics and our understanding of hygienic field practices. Lincoln cannot be solely responsible for the ghastly number of dead and wounded led to their deaths due to outdated military practices in a new emerging age of modern warfare.
But Lincoln did have the mindset to not allow a ceasefire that would only reignite in the future as it had done for decades before the war. Instead, he used the war to make the changes that this world lives in today. We are a nation today that lives by the principles of the 13th and 14th amendments. We are a nation without slavery. We are a nation unified by the states, clearly defined as ONE nation under God indivisible. We are a nation, thanks to his ability to change, fight, bend the rules, and forgive. We are a nation, thanks to Lincoln.