Lincoln Administrations - Changes in the U.S. Government
Changes in the U.S. Government
One new cabinet position was created during the Lincoln administration, the Department of Agriculture on May 15, 1862. Two new states gained admission to the Union during Lincoln's administration: West Virginia on June 19, 1863 (its territory having been captured from Virginia), and, on October 31, 1864, Nevada became part of the Union. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which outlawed slavery, was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865. Lincoln would not live to see its ratification in December.
On another level, a major change had occurred in the country with Lincoln's election and the withdrawal of southerners from Congress. Popular ideas that had languished in Congress because of southern opposition became law, such as the Homestead Act of 1862 (See also, Lincoln and Congress). The Lincoln administration provided adequate and active government to maintain the Constitution,...
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