Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War and succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy.
Lincoln was born into poverty in a log cabin and was raised on the frontier primarily in Indiana. He was self-educated and became a lawyer, Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. Congressman from Illinois.
In 1849, he returned to his law practice but became vexed by the opening of additional lands to slavery as a result of the Kansas–Nebraska Act.
He reentered politics in 1854, becoming a leader in the new Republican Party, and he reached a national audience in the 1858 debates against Stephen Douglas.
Lincoln ran for President in 1860, sweeping the North in victory. Pro-slavery elements in the South equated his success with the North's rejection of their right to practice slavery, and southern states began seceding from the Union.
To secure its independence, the new Confederate States fired on Fort Sumter, a U.S. fort in the South, and Lincoln called up forces to suppress the rebellion and restore the Union.
We would like to think all of our presidents of the United States were truly great men, and to be sure, just handling the awesome responsibility of the presidency takes a special kind of individual.
Among the character qualities emphasized at the Abraham Lincoln Center for Character Development:
- Honesty – striving for dealing with individuals and situations fairly and with truth
- Empathy – showing concern and attempting to understand the feelings of others
- Humility – working for the betterment of others, and in the interest of others over self
- Civility - showing politeness and respect to others even with whom you disagree
- Perseverance – showing hope and determination in the face of defeats and loss
- Courage – bravely standing for what is right in the face of opposition and personal fears
- Intellect – continually learning all one can about the world around us
- Vision – being governed by a firm set of principles & attainable ideas about the future
- Responsibility – willingness to work hard and to do one’s duty as a citizen
- Leadership – showing an ability to lead others in service and with justice & fairness
One of the unique and great things about the system of government in America is the concept of citizen leadership.
This is the idea of an ordinary citizen rising up and becoming president for a while, and then returning to private life.
But of the handful of men who have held that office, a few have stood out for their great achievements and leadership in a time that changed the country forever.
And one of these truly great presidents was Abraham Lincoln.
He did what other presidents could not do Lincoln had to handle an internal civil war.
This was a dispute that could have divided the country in two and resulted in dozens of small independent states instead of the powerful nation which is called as America today.
One of the little known leadership styles that Lincoln used to his advantage in the organization of his presidency was his appointment of talented national figures from opposing political parties to be part of his cabinet.
Even in Lincoln’s own lifetime people were fascinated by him.
Right before his death he cascaded into the national folklore, and generations later we are still attracted to the greatness of Abraham Lincoln and his character virtues.
His life examples provide powerful lessons: being honest in all dealings; possessing a never-ending quest to learn
But that is not even his greatest accomplishment or the one that we remember him for the most.
His opposition to slavery is his greatest contribution to the history of America.
It was not a stand that came without cost.
The civil war was one of the bloodiest and costliest in the history if for no other reason than all casualties; on both sides were casualties of America.
The schism between north and south continued for decades and is still a part of our national personality in this country.
But the end result was what Lincoln wanted to be his legacy.
By issuing the Emancipation Proclamation to make the end of slavery permanent, Lincoln followed that up with the passing of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments which made permanent the freedoms that were hard fought and won in the Civil War.
No matter who Abraham Lincoln met with, he believed to his core that all people deserved equal treatment. Through constant practice and diligent effort, even when Lincoln attained the high political position of president, he treated others whom he encountered with honesty, humility, courage, justice, and grace.
Small wonder the monument honoring him on Washington’s national mall is one of the most revered spots in the nation and one that thousands flock to each year to give respect for this great president that made liberty and freedom a reality for all Americans, not just a few.
And his face on Mount Rushmore is well deserved so the very mountain itself shouts out, this is one of the greatest leaders in the history of this great country.
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