Question

In the article, Winik says that many Americans in 1865 Connecting Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln viewed Abraham Lincoln as a “Bonaparte.” This is a reference to Napoleon Bonaparte, a self-important French military and political leader who appointed himself emperor of France in the early 1800’s. Why would some people in post-Civil War America hold this critical view of Lincoln, the man we celebrate today for ending slavery?

Answer 1

Since the Civil War had two sides it makes sense that the South would hold a negative view of Lincoln. They would view him as a "Bonaparte" because he decided to make a decision for the whole country (his 'empire') rather than letting slavery continue in the South but be abolished in the North.