Lincoln isn't shot - what then?

Let's say Lincoln survives, the Civil War ends, and he's in charge when the Reconstruction begins.

1) Does the process of Reconstruction go better or worse than OTL?
2) At what age would he most likely die naturally?

Just something I need to know for a TL I'm working on. Thanks in advance.
 
My postbellum knowledge is limited; so the 1st question I simply do not know. I could see Abe living at least 10-20 years, his impact on politics would be substantial
 
my thoughts

1. I think that Reconstruction would go incredibly smoother as most historians believe that Johnson deviated away from Lincoln's plans for Reconstruction and reunification.

2. Lincoln was 56 at the time he died and was in great health, other than the stressors that being President has on an individual. Lincoln was already looking forward to his second term ending in 1868, which probably means that he would not seek another term. My guess is that Lincoln probably had at least 15-20 years left to live had he not got assassinated.
 
Lincoln, unlike Johnson, was a brilliant politician and was warming up to the idea of rights for African Americans. I see him working well with Congress. On the second question, i see him at least enjoy a few years as a former president.
 
I think every male Lincoln lived to their 80's or even 90's. So if Lincoln lives, I don't think its far out to think he'd live into his 80's or 90's or even a few years above that. So anytime between the late 1880's/1890's and early 1900's (and maybe even a few years into the 1900's. Its a bit more of a stretch but not impossible.) seems likely. I personally think he'd die at about 82 which would be 1891 if I'm right. Then again, the old geezer could live even a few years longer.
 
Hasn't there been some speculation that Lincoln suffered from a rare form of cancer? And that he would have been dead in several months time if Booth had failed?

Or has that been debunked?
 
Hasn't there been some speculation that Lincoln suffered from a rare form of cancer? And that he would have been dead in several months time if Booth had failed?

Or has that been debunked?

Theories that he had Marfan syndrome are generally discredited since he lacked the vision and cadiovascular problems. If he lived as long as his father, he'd have lasted till 1882. If he lasted as long as his only son to make it to adulthood, that would be 1891.
 
Then again, the stress and melancholy he suffered every year of the Civil War (and which aged his face decades) could have shortened his life.

On Reconstruction, personally I feel that if he didn't have any prolonged total troop occupation as there was (which he may have and may have not), he would have used troops or the militias on a case by case basis whenever and wherever the Southerners threatened or oppressed black civil rights (I believe in its plan, the Southern states were to readmitted if they would follow the US laws and rights for the freed blacks, which enforces my idea on Lincoln using troops to enforce civil rights in some form or another). And I think his idea was to educate the blacks and then give them the vote (I believe they were to be given citizenship before that whole education thing, but I'm not sure), so I'm not sure if you would take that as his policy being educating the blacks while giving them the vote with a Freedmen's School type deal (similar to what the "Radicals" did), or educating them for a short time and then giving them the vote after a short time where he feels they've been taught well enough, or a long term thing of many many years of educating them, and after those many years giving them the vote.

Take into account too that the Southerners were warming up to Lincoln at least to a degree and he was planning to be kind and benevolent toward the South, so that could smooth some bumps in southern reactions to things both in OTL events that would happen (IE, Reconstruction) and ATL events.

And Lincoln's plan was to retire after his second term, and go out to California with Mary and explore the west. So his retirement would be bumbing around San Francisco, maybe a few photo-ops with Mark Twain and Emperor Joseph Norton, maybe seeing the Pacific Northwest, etc.,etc.
 

Baskilisk

Banned
Didn't he have that weird bone growth disorder? That made you grow until you couldn't live anymore? I thought I heard something about that before...
 
There's a lot of stuff people have theorized. Marfan, Cancer, etc. Frankly, I just think he was tall naturally and extremely depressed because of the greatest and bloodiest war in the American mentality.
 
Only if you prescribe to said theory, which is a theory since it has yet to be proven or disproven. It is not fact. It is all too common in many what if discussions to take ideas and possibilities and theories and say it is solid truth and fact when it could be 50/50 or 40/60 or 30/70 on whether it's true or not.

A strong reason why he may not have had that cancer: Everyone with it generally dies at a young age. His sons and mother which the idea states have it died young (his sons in childhood, his mother at 34). Lincoln was 56 when he was shot.
 
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