2. Who was the first US president to impose an utterly unconstitutional military draft?
3. Who was the first US president to cause US troops to unconstitutionally occupy the territory of not one but two states (SC and FL) which had seceded from the Union in blatant violation of the 10th Amendment to the United States constitution?
4. Who was the president who purported to declare null and void the property ownership in slaves of the slaveholders of the 11 Confederate States which had seceded from the "Union" in blatant violation of the Due Process Clause of the 5th Amendment to the United States Constitution?
5. Who, as US president, jailed dissenting newspaper editors, smashed their presses, physically expelled a US Congressman who represented Ohio from the "Union" for dissenting, allowed drumhead military tribunals to try US civilian citizens, caused Sherman's "March to the Sea" of raping, looting, pillaging and slaughtering Southern non-combatants?
And, no, it does not particularly matter what Jefferson Davis may have done in the CSA since Confederate independence efforts do not justify illegal activity on Lincoln's part.
Masugi's analysis depends on Henry Jaffa of all people. Jaffa was a single-minded Lincoln worshiper who needs not to be taken seriously be conservatives. DiLorenzo has compiled an interesting but utterly one-sided alternative history of Lincoln which is a counterpoint to Jaffa but DiLorenzo is not making serious historians nervous by comparison. DiLorenzo's work has some merit but is clearly an over the top polemic.
Just illegal actions on their own part, right?