So, if I understand, your point is that Lincoln was in no sense a "dictator", but rather a constitutional President who lead by the consent & active support of his voters?
Sorry, sir, if I had misunderstood earlier.
” So, if I understand, your point is that Lincoln was in no sense a “dictator”, but rather a constitutional President who lead by the consent & active support of his voters?”
My point is that he led by the consent and active support of his voters, and for all I know those who didn’t vote for him but opposed secession, and the Northern States. It wasn’t just him.
As to he “was in no sense a ‘dictator’”, I wouldn’t use those words. For one thing, I don’t want to try to refute every allegation that he was in some particular instance. For another, he was Commander in Chief of the military and in the military, particularly in time of war, rebellion, insurrection, some actions of any military commander can be construed as dictatorial. Anyway, if he was a dictator or not, he still led by the consent and active support of his voters, and maybe those who didn’t vote for him but opposed secession, and the Northern States. That’s my point, it wasn’t just him.
As to “rather a constitutional President”, he was elected twice, constitutionally as far as I am aware. Did he violate the Constitution? I’ve seen arguments on both sides. I don’t recall any efforts to impeach him. But whether he was a constitutional President or not, he still led by the consent and active support of his voters, and maybe those who didn’t vote for him but opposed secession, and the Northern States. That’s my point, it wasn’t just him.
As an aside, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if after secession and the firing on Fort Sumter, Lincoln had taken the position: “Okay. Bye.” Would the North have gone along with that or opposed him? Would they have tried to impeach him? Would he have won a second election or would some firebrand have been elected and the war started four years later when the South was stronger, or weaker? Or would the war have started in the West instead of the East, in the Kansas-Missouri region? Seems like those people really didn’t like each other. What happened happened so it doesn’t matter, but I wonder. I don’t know enough to do more.
“Sorry, sir, if I had misunderstood earlier.”
That’s OK. Perhaps I haven’t been clear enough.