Quote:
Originally Posted by Ithekro
Depends on the man and the situation surrounding him.
The Confederacy decided to break away because Lincoln was elected President. They didn't even wait for him to get into office. They believed he would end their institution of slavery against their rights as State governements to hold that sort of power. In truth, Lincoln said that he would be anything to perserve the Union. If that meant freeing all the slaves, he would do it, but if that meant freeing none of the slaves, or even some slaves would go free while others remained slaves...he would do that too. Anything to keep the country whole. They didn't even give him the chance to make that choice.
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For the sake of argument, I would say that the splitting of the United States was due to the actions of many. Lincoln's election may have been the catalyst, but did Lincoln himself cause the fissure? His views pushed people away and made them feel compelled to act, but it was their actions - not his - that caused the split.
I'm not trying to say that the president has no power or influence over society. When it comes to social issues, such as abortion and "gay marriage," the person in power is certainly important. But what about the things that people like to blame the president for? Gas prices, unemployment, attacks from foreign nationals... the president really has little direct power over these things. Again, he (or she) is not
powerless, but it's pure fantasy to think that we could replace Obama with someone else and that America would immediately experience a golden age of prosperity and gas at even $2 per gallon.