Did some of Lincoln's wartime actions surprise you? Do you feel they were necessary? Under what circumstances do you feel such actions could be taken today?

At various points in the war, "Lincoln declared martial law, suspended habeas corpus, and sent soldiers to arrest scores of Marylanders for advocating secession, including state legislators and prominent newspaper editors." Did these actions surprise you? Do you feel they were necessary? Under what circumstances do you feel such actions could be taken today?

I highlighted one paragraph that states: "At various points Lincoln declared martial law, suspended habeas corpus, and sent soldiers to arrest scores of Marylanders for advocating secession, including state legislators and prominent newspaper editors."

That did surprise me, particularly the arrests. Today there'd be all sorts of lawsuits filed - freedom of speech, freedom of the press - but I'm not sure what powers a president has when the country's at war. I understand the need to keep sedition at bay, but at the same time, it's frightening that a president can squash dissent like Lincoln did.

It did not surprise me, especially in a state that was so close to the Capitol. Based on the information in the story, the actions probably seemed warranted at the time. My thoughts take me to January 6th, and what actions were taken, or should have been taken to prevent and end the violence.

Lincoln's commitment to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence was so strong. He acted against those who were arrested, etc., in defense of the Constitution. I was not surprised. I agree with the comment above about if it happening today, there would be lawsuits. In a way it is happening today and across a broader spectrum - efforts to prevent certain groups from voting, to have government officials deciding what books a child should read under the pretense of protecting parents' rights and the children, on the push to control women's bodies and personal choice. I go back to the reference to Hitler; our Constitution needs to always be defended.

Maryland was a particular problem because they did not secede but were also a slave state. When you are a part of a nation, you are bound to the laws that govern that nation and our governance is our Constitution. Much of the state was in favor of succession and were overridden by their politicians. Many secessionists were not interested in truth but in stirring up violent sentiment - so if you call yourself an editor and you print known seditious lies, are you entitled to the protection of the First Amendment because the lies will further your cause? The oath of office, the protections of the Constitution, the credibility of a nation are based on the belief that truth leads to justice - and without truth, what justice can we expect.

There have been innumerable discussions about the rightness or wrongness of some Lincoln's executive actions during the War: Suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, martial law, etc. I am not enough of a historical, political, or legal scholar to give an opinion on whether they were correct or not. I am sure that he gave a great deal of thought to these decisions and then acted as he felt was necessary.

At that time, I think its was necessary. Most of the citizens of Maryland and south of the Mason Dixon wanted him dead and wanted to form their own government to maintain slavery. I didn't know or didn't remember that he declared martial law, but I don't think he had a choice. At what times should it be declared today: in the event of a natural disaster and people roam streets harm innocent people, destroy and set fire to businesses.

I agree with some statements(s) from each of the comments above, and disagree with other statement(s) in each of the statements above, but unfortunately like BuffaloGirl "I am not enough of a historical, political, or legal scholar to give an opinion on whether they (Lincoln's actions) were correct or not. I am concerned about if or when a contemporary president would "declared martial law, suspended habeas corpus, and sent soldiers to arrest scores of Marylanders for advocating secession, including state legislators and prominent newspaper editors" how our citizens would handle the orders.