What actually took place was that Lincoln made law foremost and upfront in the public arena; having studied it and being somewhat mentored in it, he set about on an ambitious course of bringing his early successes in applying local laws in disputes among landowners, boundary demarcation and territorial preeminence to a national level when the national map was but a mere third of what it now encompasses.
He, alone among all the rest of the ambitious and restless men, saw in 1860 what the future could bring - not just increasing wealth and trade but a chance to remake and expand the unexplored frontier that lay to the west even while shrouded in tales, myths and disappointing opportunities, still beckoned as a siren.
Having had no personal contact with the Negro other than the time he spent on the Mississippi River while piloting a rather ramshackle boat he learned real fast the importance of making friends with important people in high places and the persuasive qualities of high-falutin’ speech so it was but a small step to make a landmark declaration superseding the Constitution itself.
Desperate for the all-important second term, he suspended the writ of habeas corpus, mandated that all the union troops vote in the election before deployment (where they might die before November 1864), and single-handledly declared himself the tax collector for the entire nation.
But he was a good republican and he did enjoy a night at the opera.
I just came from a full day at Lookout Mountain and it is incredible what took place.
He suspended the writ for the first time in April 1861, almost 3 and a half years before the election for his all-important second term. And I'd be interested in your documentation for claim number 2 and claim number 3.
having studied it and being somewhat mentored in it
He was the preeminent lawyer in IL, admittedly a rather backwoods place at the time.
the national map was but a mere third of what it now encompasses.
Not sure what period you're talking about, but after the Mexican War the US expansion on the continent was all but completed.
He, alone among all the rest of the ambitious and restless men, saw in 1860 what the future could bring - not just increasing wealth and trade but a chance to remake and expand the unexplored frontier that lay to the west
By 1860 the frontier was pretty thoroughly explored, although not well-settled yet.
he learned real fast the importance of making friends with important people in high places and the persuasive qualities of high-falutin’ speech so it was but a small step to make a landmark declaration superseding the Constitution itself.
Many have accused Lincoln of eloquence. Few have accused him of high-falutin’ speech. He seldom if ever spoke in an ostentatious or pretentious way.
The Emancipation Proclamation did not supercede the Constitution. It was a legitimate exercise of war powers, confiscating the property of rebels that was being used in the service of the rebellion.
Desperate for the all-important second term, he suspended the writ of habeas corpus
This was done in 1861 during the emergency when DC was undefended, and was later confirmed by act of Congress.
mandated that all the union troops vote in the election before deployment
A truly evil act.
and single-handledly declared himself the tax collector for the entire nation.How exactly did he do this? All federal taxes were voted in by Congress, as the Constitution requires, and state taxes continued to be voted and collected by the states.