We'd like to think that all of our presidents of the United States have been truly great men, and certainly, it takes a special kind of individual just to handle the awesome responsibility of being president. 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 who rises up and becomes president for a while and then goes back to private life.
But of the handful of men who held the office, several stood out for their great accomplishments and leadership during a time that changed the country forever. And one of these truly great presidents was Abraham Lincoln. Probably more than any other president, Lincoln had to manage an internal civil war that was much more than shouting and cursing. It was a dispute that could have torn the country in half and started a rift that could have resulted in dozens of small, weak independent states instead of the mighty nation we know today as America.
It was Lincoln's leadership, his commitment to values, and his strong moral fiber that allowed America to find its way through this war and then begin the healing process that would eventually bring the nation back together again. Lincoln's tenure from 1860 until his death was one of great challenge. If only he had the trouble of dealing with the South's attempt to succeed in the Union and his ability to keep those states part of the American national territory, he would indeed be hailed as a great American.
One of the little-known leadership styles that Lincoln used to his advantage in organizing his presidency was the appointment of talented national figures from opposing political parties to become part of his cabinet. Lincoln felt that he needed to have close advisers from the opposite point of view so that his presidency would not become isolated from the American people and one-sided. By gathering members of the "loyal opposition" into his trusted inner circle, Lincoln was always aware of both sides of any issue, which made him a stronger leader.
But that is neither his greatest achievement nor what he is best remembered for. His courageous and unwavering opposition to slavery is undoubtedly his greatest contribution to American history, and indeed to world history. While Lincoln was willing to give anything to stop this barbaric social sin, he went against the popular opinion of the day in many cases that he would be the one to end slavery.
It was not a booth that came without cost. The Civil War was one of the bloodiest and costliest in the nation's history, if for no other reason than all the casualties; there were America's victims on both sides. It would take many decades to repair the ravages of that terrible war. The North-South divide has lasted for decades and is still part of our national personality in this country.
But the end result was what Lincoln wanted his legacy to be. Issuing the Emancipation Proclamation to make the end of slavery permanent, Lincoln followed it up by passing the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, which made permanent the freedoms that had been hard fought and won in the Civil War.
The freedom that was won for so many black Americans in this war has permanently cemented the memory of Abraham Lincoln as one of our greatest presidents in the hearts and minds of all Americans. It is no wonder that the monument in his honor on the National Mall in Washington is one of the most revered places in the country and a place where thousands of people come every year to pay their respects to this great president who made freedom and liberty a reality for all Americans, not just a few people. . And his face on Mount Rushmore is well deserved, so the mountain itself screams, he is one of the greatest leaders in the history of this great country.
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