Important Presidential Decisions

Important Presidential Decisions

Throughout history there have been many presidential decisions that have changed the course of history. A presidential decision is usually made to help solve an immediate problem and can be subject to controversy, depending on the reason the decision is being made. Two critical decisions that changed history are the Emancipation Proclamation made by Abraham Lincoln and the Annexation of Texas made by John Tyler.

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863 in the midst of the Civil War. The proclamation declared the freedom of slaves within the Confederate states. The purpose of the proclamation was to restore peace during the war as well as increase Union control. The proclamation was controversial because it only freed slaves in the Confederate states, leaving slaves in the Border States untouched

Although every slave throughout the nation was not freed during this time, those that were took the first steps in the journey that will forever linger in history of human freedom. The importance of this decision is in the affects it had on future of African-American freedom and opportunity. Because of the proclamation black men were able to enter the military and fight for their country and eventually led to the Thirteenth Amendment which ended slavery in the United States.

The Annexation of Texas of 1845 was the joining of Texas to the United States, making it the 28th state. The reason for the annexation was so that the Americans that had settled there could be free from Mexican dictatorship. The controversy that surrounded this decision was the threat of war with Mexico and the spread of slavery.

Although there was the looming threat of war and the spreading of slavery, this decision proved to be for the great good of the United States. The importance of this controversial decision lies in the affects it had on the future of the United States of America. Because of Tyler's fight to get the joint resolution passed we now have the states of Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma as well as other states.

As you have seen every presidential decision comes with criticism and backlash but in the end must be made with the best intentions for the country's well-being. While these decisions could have been faced with consequences of war and slavery, they instead changed the course of history of the United States.