What practice did Lincoln employ to silence those in opposition to the war?

The same way the administration does it now. Lincoln made the Copperhead Democrats (those who were against the war) appear to be unpatriotic and not loyal to the Union. People were less likely to listen to them if they questioned the Copperheads' loyalty.





Cheers!
What practice did Lincoln employ to silence those in opposition to the war?
What Lincoln did was have people people who spoke in opposition to the government arrested and suspend habeas corpus, which is a legal avenue for people who have been wrongly imprisoned.





In simpler terms, he had those who disagreed with him arrested AND took away their opportunity to free themselves.
What practice did Lincoln employ to silence those in opposition to the war?
The answers so far are correct about the NAME of practice -- it was the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus (which, by the way the Constitution SPECIFICALLY allows for in cases of insurrection).





But it is IN-correct to say that Lincoln used this as a tool to "silence those in opposition". MOST opposition (public speeches, harsh newspaper accounts and editorials) were allowed to go on. (There is an abundant record of newspapers that opposed Lincoln and suffered NO reprisals.)





Lincoln used the suspension SPECIFICALLY as a check on ACTIVE opposition to the war effort itself. For example, the first (of three) cases came after Southern-sympathizers in Maryland began to prevent (in some cases endanger and even kill) Union troops on their way to Washington, to cut off communication lines between Baltimore (and so to places North) and Washington... which could devastate the federal government





Here are a few discussions. You might find especially interesting the first - a presentation by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/8...


http://www.etymonline.com/cw/habeas.htm


http://www.civil-liberties.com/pages/did...





If you really want to delve into the question, check out the excellent book by Mark Neely, *The Fate of Liberty* which carefully studied the real RECORDS, and found that Lincoln's actions were far less sweeping than popularly claimed.





Another interesting, careful assessment of Lincoln's views on this matter as well as his argument against secession (though heavy reading) is Daniel Farber's *Lincoln's Constitution*