We like to think that all of our presidents in the United States were really great men, and to be sure, managing an amazing presidential office takes a special kind of person. One of the unique and beautiful features of the American government program is the concept of citizen leadership. This is the idea of a normal citizen getting up and running for a while and then going back to private life.
But of the few men who held that position, few stood out for their outstanding achievements and leadership in a time that changed the world permanently. And one of these really great presidents was Abraham Lincoln. More than any other president, Lincoln had to contend with an internal conflict that involved much more than shouting and name-calling. This was a conflict that could divide the country at the beginning of the uprising, that could lead to the formation of a few independent nations instead of the powerful nation known as America today.
It was Lincoln's leadership, his commitment to principles and strong morals that enabled the United States to find a way into that war and to begin the healing process that would eventually restore the nation to unity. Lincoln's reign from 1860 until his death.
If he had struggled to cope with the southern efforts to succeed the union and his ability to retain those states as part of the American state, he would have been praised as the greatest American man.
One of the lesser-known ways in which Lincoln benefited from his position was by appointing capable national figures from opposition parties to be part of his cabinet. Lincoln felt that he needed to have close advisers from the opposition to prevent his presidency from collapsing with the American people and the people and the party. By mobilizing members of the "sincere opposition" in his sincere internal circles, Lincoln always knew both sides of every issue, that made him a powerful leader.
But that is not even his biggest job or the one we remember most. His bold and firm opposition to slavery was his greatest contribution to American history and world history. Determined to put everything in order to stop this pagan social sin, Lincoln made a stand, against the popular view of the time in many cases that he would be the figure to end slavery.
It was not a stand that could go in for free. The civil war was one of the bloodiest and most tragic events in the history of a nation, when there was no cause other than the victims; Both sides were wounded Americans. It may take decades to repair the damage done by the war. The divisions between north and south continued for decades and are still part of our national identity in this country.
But the result was what Lincoln wanted as his legacy. By issuing the Declaration of Independence of the Abolition of Slavery, Lincoln followed suit with the passing of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments that made it possible for liberated freedom to fight and be defeated in the Civil War.
The freedom that many black Americans experienced in that war kept the memory of Abraham Lincoln as one of our greatest presidents in the hearts and minds of all Americans. Surprisingly, the monument in Washington shopping mall is one of the most revered places in the nation and thousands flock to it each year to pay homage to this great president who made freedom and liberty a reality for all Americans, not just a few. And his face on Mount Rushmore deserves it, so the very mountain itself shouts, this is one of the greatest leaders in the history of this great world.
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