The Legacy of Abraham Lincoln: The Pride of a Nation

Revered as the greatest president the United States has ever known, the image of President Abraham Lincoln persists long after his assassination, preserved in history as a symbol of the nation. In his brief lifespan, Lincoln had managed, not only to reunite the Union and Confederate states, divided as they were by the Civil War, but also to tip the scales in favor of an anti-slave nation. It is only of these accomplishments for which this man is known, but of his true life few can be called experts. The true nature of Lincoln's life was difficult as he grew up with limited resources and yet still managed to reach the presidential office. Throughout his life he had travelled around the nation, earning his reputation as an experienced law authority, diligent scholar, and even a masterful speaker. Even through his presidency Lincoln had demonstrated his wisdom and his sense of justice time and time again as he advocated and even demanded the freedom of slaves within the United States. Not all saw Lincoln's leadership to be one of greatness, however, as those from the Confederate states, passionately supportive as they were of slavery, abhorred and even rejected it entirely.
It can be said that, had another taken Lincoln's place as the 16th president of the united states, greater tribulations would have befallen the United States than the loss of lives to the Civil War. It was under his leadership that the teachings of the Founding Fathers had truly been available to all who inhabited the nation, not just those who were of a specific appearance. Lincoln's dedication to his work brought to fruition that which abolitionists and slaves had been attempting to do, all the while living the so-called "American Dream." Short of being prematurely assassinated, the president had fulfilled much of what he had set out to accomplish in his life. To his death he worked hard to maintain both his family and the nation simultaneously and in both had he succeeded. With the culmination of those supporting him, his magnificent speaking voice, and his superior leadership, it may suffice to say that his influence greatly improved the nation and morphed it into what it is today.

Born on February 12 1809, the young Abraham Lincoln began his life as the son of Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Throughout his childhood Abraham Lincoln developed an innate fascination for reading and field work though this "led to a difficult relationship with his father who was just the opposite" (Norton). Unfortunately, this fascination in the scholarly arts could only be eased by the occasional visit to the distant schoolhouse and sparse amounts of self-study. As he was growing up he also had to deal with the loss of several members of his family including his younger brother Thomas, his elder sister Sarah, and his mother. In his years as an adult, Lincoln changed occupations frequently and, while doing so, earned respect from people of both the rough and reputable portions of society. Romantically speaking, Lincoln had a brief courtship with Ann Rutledge until she died in 1835. It was only in 1839 that he met Mary Todd who was to be his wife and mother to his four children, Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. Despite what some would describe as conflicting natures, both husband and wife enjoyed a happy marriage, though with more work being done on the part of Lincoln.

Beginning with little to no knowledge of politics and an extremely limited pool of information, Lincoln found the prospect of becoming a member of the state legislature to be fairly difficult. Several years of working abroad had granted Lincoln the opportunity to continue his studies and develop his reputation, despite numerous financial setbacks and impending debt. After a failed attempt in running for Legislature and another at running his own business, Lincoln had to work diligently in order to pay off his debts in the following years, thus giving him a nickname and reputation as "Honest Abe." It was only in 1834 that Lincoln finally found himself in a seat of the Illinois House of Representatives followed by three reelections in the 6 years thereafter. Eventually Lincoln sought a seat in Congress, but stepped aside to allow two other candidates the opportunity before him. When Lincoln's turn finally came to step into office "his district was so predominantly Whig that this amounted to election, and he won handily over his Democratic opponent" (Donald). After his election to Congress, however, Lincoln's interest in politics began to wane and he eventually disillusioned himself with the subject after he became limited to positions to which he held no interest.

Being politically uninvolved, Lincoln spent much of his excess time developing his law skills and studying classics. He became a prominent figure among many of Springfield's most acknowledged lawyers and reinstituted many of his old acquaintances and friendships. Not surprisingly, it was the issue of slavery that had renewed Lincoln's interest in political affairs, specifically the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850. With this sudden renewal of his political interest, Lincoln sparred against Senator Stephen A. Douglas in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. In these debates the two combatants argued the issue of slavery and its importance in political discussion, for which they became fairly reputable among variant populations, political or otherwise. These debates also opened the doors to Lincoln's senatorial campaign, for which he opened with his famous "House Divided" speech. All of his political efforts and dealings, however, finally culminated in his presidential election in the Election of 1860. At one point being an unpredictable election "a split in the democratic party, which resulted in the nomination of Douglas by one faction and John C. Breckinridge by the other, made Lincoln's election a certainty" (Donald).

Abraham Lincoln's entire presidency was, for all practical purposes, completely centered on the state of the Union and its well-being. The test of his devotion to the Union ultimately began as he first demonstrated his anti-slavery disposition. From one position of power to the next, as Lincoln rose up the political ladder to the presidential office, the southern, pro-slavery states felt increasingly threatened. They believed that Lincoln's inauguration would mark the end of slavery and thus seceded from the Union. At the time of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration, the conflict between abolitionists and slave advocates raged around him. By expressing his disapproval of slavery, Lincoln had managed to ensnare the support of the abolitionists thus winning him the election. Being well known for his high political standing and for "debating with Douglas he gained a national reputation that won him the Republican nomination for President in 1860" (The White House). Being fairly gifted with his speeches and persuasion, Lincoln easily found himself in the president's office. There he further proceeded to use the abolitionist movements and protests to his advantage in order to eradicate slavery himself. The most defining factor at the time of his swearing into office, however, was the Civil War as it presented the greatest challenge to Lincoln both before and during his terms in office. Those on the side of the Confederacy had presented the majority of his opposition and the war itself became the greatest obstacle for him to overcome.

To the United States the presidency of the Abraham Lincoln served as a cure to a split and dying nation. As his life progressed, Lincoln publicized his disapproval and rejection of both the Mexican War and slavery, all the while becoming a member of the United States House of Representatives in 1846. It was this rejection of slavery and his high standing in politics that most likely led to mixed opposition and support among the general population. These mixed outlooks upon his leadership thus led to a split between members of the Union and Lincoln sought to repair this, though was unsuccessful. Being at the critical point of the slavery movements and of the war, Lincoln's presidency occurred at exactly the right time to remedy both issues. During his terms in office "he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy" (The White House) thus dealing with the issue of slavery. On the other hand the issue of ending the war and reunifying the two halves of the nations proved to be a much greater challenge and was only achieved at the beginning of his second term. Through the use of military force and superior leadership, the Union eventually reached a victory in the war and President Lincoln was willing to be flexible and forgiving in his treatment of Southerners post-surrender.

The influence of President Abraham Lincoln, no matter how limited it may have been due to his untimely assassination, continues to persist even to this day. The simple uttering of the late president's name is iconic of his victories during the Civil War and of his advocation for anti-slavery. During the terms of his presidency, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and anti-slavery movements served as the catalysts to which the eradication of slavery is greatly attributed. He is permanently engraved in history as a symbol of unity as it was he who restored the Union and peace to the nation. To modern day idealists, Lincoln perfectly represents the success of the so-called "American Dream." He demonstrated to the world that, "regardless of [one's] backgrounds,

In an attempt to reunify the nation, President Lincoln enacted his four year pro-Union policy, "despite enormous pressures, loss of life, battlefield setbacks, bickering among his Cabinet members, generals who weren't ready to fight, assassination threats, etc" (Norton). Based on this, it may be assumed that the president would have been willing to go to almost any lengths to rebuild the Union. Also, with this in mind it may stand to reason that Lincoln's followers consisted mainly of anti-slavery abolitionists and those among the remnants of the Union. The fact that "Lincoln's foreign policy was geared toward preventing foreign intervention in the Civil War" only serves to prove the fact that he was limited on followers (Norton). This policy was enacted mainly as a way to prevent foreign support for the pro-slavery cause and thus a greater accumulation of enemies.

Of the many qualities for which he was known, it was Abraham Lincoln's ideals of peace and equality for which he was best remembered. Though it was clear that Lincoln reserved a special reverence for those who supported him, he granted everyone equality including the poor. His passing of the Homestead Act as well as his Emancipation Proclamation speech demonstrated his desire for universal equality to all races and social classes. The "[Homestead] Act proposed to make up to 160 acres of public land available to any qualified applicant," (National Park Service) be they of any age, race, or gender. The Emancipation speech, on the other hand, demanded the freeing of any and all slaves as well as the abolition of slavery from the U.S. Both actions served to enforce Lincoln's equality ideals as they indirectly suggest that even a slave should be able to rise from shackles to holding his or her own estate.

Though many of Lincoln's improvements to the nation are remembered, much has yet to be mentioned about his faults as a leader. There can be no question that without his leadership or that of one of equal caliber the Union would have surely lost the war. Unfortunately, that success did not come without cost as, under Lincoln's leadership, both the Union and the Confederates both lost many men to the ravages of war. As time wore unforgivingly on and the body-count continued to rise, support for Lincoln began to wane on the side of the Union. As circumstance would have it, the masses were soon to remember Lincoln as a symbol of death and of unpopularity. Then, in a completely unprecedented turn of events, came the Union's success in the Civil War and his landslide reelection which thus redeemed his reputation. All of this was in preparation for the devastation that would result of his assassination by John Wilkes Booth. With the president's last heartbeat the nation wept and inquired as to "what would happen to them now that their champion was gone" (Haugen 89).

The death of Abraham Lincoln not only marked the first occurrence of the assassination of a president, but also the death of a national icon. Although he may not have had the total support of the nation, Lincoln was and remains symbolic of the values that the United States was founded upon. Growing up, he was unaided in his studies as his father was uneducated and he often spent much of his time working in the best interest of his family. In adulthood, Lincoln followed whatever path necessary to reaching his goals, be they to merely support his lifestyle or to lead his nation. On countless occasions he held himself in society as a man of truth and intelligence and, most importantly of all, of acceptance. In his eyes no citizen of the Union was to be perceived as alien or out of place, nor were they to be viewed as a monotonous horde. Lincoln recognized all the citizens of the nation as inherent recipients of equal treatment and, at the same time, as people deserving of their own individuality. It was for these simple reasons that Lincoln was remembered as the culmination of "qualities necessary for great leadership: honesty, compassion, courage, and a good sense of right and wrong" (Haugen 95).

Throughout all of the famous speeches given by Lincoln a single, constant aspect can often be noted: reverence. It was one of Lincoln's apparent beliefs that those who are of a different appearance, nature, or even those who are no longer among the living should all be treated with respect. In his Gettysburg Address Lincoln dedicated every word of his speech to the soldiers that died upon that ground:

"It is for us the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain..." (Haugen).

Upon this reverence Lincoln built his entire presidency and thus demonstrates that not only was he unique among the masses of the nation, but that his leadership was one of benevolence.

Born into a family where the idea of education took little precedence, the young Abraham Lincoln had to work hard to attain what little knowledge he could. Upon reaching adulthood the notions of work and education became of greater importance to him but was still of great difficulty to obtain. Despite these figurative barricades to his progress Lincoln became a prominent figure in the field of law. With his highly reputable standing in society, Lincoln began climbing the political ladder, one rung at a time until at last he had reached the Presidential office. It was there that he reunified the split nation and abolished slavery, despite the aggression of the Confederate states and of others opposing him. Lincoln benefitted the nation in ways unexpected of him and due to his benevolent leadership the United States stands as the grand nation it is today. The fact that, to this day, slaves are no longer a normality in America stands as a reminder of the great contribution he had placed up the nation. As a template to many leaders following his generation, Lincoln's influence can be noted in the speeches and actions of several people including Martin Luther King Jr. and even the current president of the United States, Barack Obama. The success of these two prominent figures in gaining supporters may even have been directly dependent on the inclusion of Lincoln's work as his was such a profound embodiment of true leadership. Standing in history as the greatest president the United States has ever known, the leadership of Abraham Lincoln serves as yet another support in the development of the nation.

Donald, David Herbert. "Lincoln, Abraham ." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009. Grolier Online. 16 Mar. 2009 .

Haugen, Brenda. Abraham Lincoln: Great American President. Minneapolis, MN:
Compass Point Books, 2006.

Norton, R.J.. "An Overview of Abraham Lincoln's Life." Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln Research Site. 09 Mar 2009 .

National Park Service "What is President Abraham Lincoln's Greatest Legacy." Homestead National Monument of America. 12 Mar 2009. National Park Service. 09 Mar 2009 .

"Abraham Lincoln Newspaper Archive." Newspaper Archives. Heritage Microfilm, Inc.. 16 Mar 2009 .