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Abraham Lincoln: A Man of Character and Leadership 1809 -1865

Chelsy L. Jackson

May 7, 2013

Dr. Kendie

History Seminar (WI)

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Abraham Lincoln: A Man of Character and Leadership 1809-1865

This paper will argue that Abraham Lincoln was a man of character who

grew from experience and rose to greatness. Often known as one of the greatest

presidents in American history, Lincoln came from the poorest of the poor, and

became an influential leader during one of America’s greatest challenging eras in

history—the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Introduction

President Abraham Lincoln was a man of character1 because of important

leadership qualities that he had shown throughout his life. He was also a man of

compassion2, courage3, integrity4, self-discipline5, and above all, self-taught.6

Character can be defined as the habitual virtues and vices in a person, founded in

ones temperament and distinguishing ones moral personality. Men of character

usually have leadership qualities and play a role that varies in the course of group

formation, and is bound with expectations as to the direction, control, and

modifications of activities of the other group members, with a view to achieving

group aims. Character influences others because of personality. A man of

1 Bernard J. Wuellner. Dictionary of Scholastic Philosophy (Bruce Publishing Company: Milwaukee, 1956) 23.2 Encyclopedia Britannica Vol. 7 (Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2007), 369.3 Ibid., 369.4 Ibid., 369.5 Ibid., 369.6 Ibid., 369.

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character is a dependable person who stands with society in times of adversity

and happiness.

There are several primary sources on which the thesis is based. The major

primary sources that have been consulted are the diaries, letters, and memoirs of

Abraham Lincoln’s personal, political, and social life. These documents are

entitled the “Abraham Lincoln Papers,” published in 2002. This collection of

20,000 correspondence documents from the 1850s and 1860s, include notes from

close friends and family, letters from associates who have worked with Abraham

Lincoln throughout his political career, original drafts from his seminal speeches

like the “Second Inaugural Address” as well as, the “Gettysburg Address.” There

are also books based on these documents by citizens who wrote about Abraham

Lincoln during the American Civil War. The letters explain his personal life,

opinions, and goals. The memoirs include Lincoln’s governmental papers and

declarations such as the “Emancipation Proclamation” and his personal diaries.

As for secondary sources, there are numerous biographical works that

specify aspects of Abraham Lincoln’s life, and how he proved to be an outstanding

leader of substance and character. “Lincoln’s Melancholy,” published in 2005 by

Joshua Wolf Shenk, explains that he was a great lawyer and statesman. It allows

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the reader to focus on Abraham Lincoln’s unknown challenges of his personal life.

It reveals the true character of Abraham Lincoln, explaining how his personal

suffering influenced his strength, and how he coped with his mental health,

plunging through great darkness, only to fuel his greatness despite his ailment

and suffering to lead America through one of the greatest challenges in its history

—The American Civil War.

Brief Background

Since individuals are shaped by their upbringing and social environment, we

must understand the background of Lincoln’s early life. Abraham Lincoln was born

in a log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809, to Thomas and

Nancy Lincoln.7 He had a younger brother, Thomas, and a sister, Sarah. “Lincoln

earned his first dollar ferrying passengers out to a steamboat down the Ohio River

in 1827.”8 He worked in a general store as a clerk in New Salem, Illinois in 1830,

and became postmaster of New Salem in 1833. “The he was subsequently

appointed surveyor by President Andrew Jackson the same year.”9

In middle age, Lincoln educated himself in law, obtained his license and ran

for the Illinois State Legislature in 1832. He was defeated. However, he returned

7 Fred Dubose I Used to Know that Civil War (Readers Digest: New York, 2011) 12.8 Abraham Lincoln Library & Museum “Abraham Lincoln’s Life” http://www.alplm.org/timeline/timeline.html9Ibid.

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again in 1834 and won the election and served two terms as a legislator. Not only

was he a recognized leader in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate,

he also became the 16th President of the United States in 1860 and was re-elected

in 1864. He married Mary Todd Lincoln in 1842, and had four sons.

The American Civil War

The American Civil War (1861-1865) was known as the “war between the

states” and one of the bloodiest battles in American history that began with the

Battle of Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, April 12th, 1861.10 Over

618,000 lost their lives due to the destruction of the war. No other United States

conflict comes close to the American Civil War. The total loss of lives of both the

Union at 360,000, and the Confederacy at 258,000, was greater than World War I

(1914-1918) and World War II (1941-1945) combined.11 Deaths for World War I

were at 116, 516 and deaths for World War II were at 405, 399, calculating

together for a total of 521,915.12 It has a total of 181.7 war dead per every 10,000

people and by contrast, the comparable figure for the American Revolution was

10 Encyclopedia Britannica Vol. 1 (Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2007), 327.11 Arnold & Wiener. American Civil War: The Essential Reference Guide, “Consequences of the American Civil War; Destruction of Life and Property” (Santa Barbara: California, 2011) 19.12 “WWI & WWII Casualty and Death Tables” www.pbs.org/greatwar/resources/casdeath_pop.html 1 May 2013

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117.9 and a distant 29.6 for World War II.13 In addition to those who died in the

war, 275,000 Union soldiers and 226,000 Confederate soldiers were wounded.14

Eleven Southern states succeeded from the Union: South Carolina

(December 20, 1860), Mississippi (January 9, 1861), Florida (January 10, 1861),

Alabama (January 11, 1861), Georgia (January 19, 1861), Louisiana (January 26,

1861), Texas (February 1, 1861), Virginia(April 17, 1861), Arkansas (May 6, 1861),

North Carolina (May 20, 1861), and Tennessee (June 8, 1861).15

The reasons for succession and the following outbreak of armed hostilities

were the denouement of decades of growing friction over related issues of

slavery, trade and taxation, and the doctrine of states’ rights.16 The friction had

resulted in the differences between both northern and southern economies. The

South’s only mean of survival was agricultural; primarily cotton plantations.

Therefore, they depended on slave labor in order to survive. This labor kept the

plantations in business. “In 1860, 89 percent of the nation's African Americans

were slaves; blacks formed 13 percent of the country's population and 33 percent

of the South's population.”17 The North however, had manufacturing industries 13 Arnold & Wiener. American Civil War: The Essential Reference Guide, “Consequences of the American Civil War; Destruction of Life and Property” (Santa Barbara: California, 2011) 19.14 Ibid.,19.15 Martin Kelley. “American History: Order of the Secession During the American Civil War.” http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarmenu/a/secession_order.htm16 Encyclopedia Britannica Vol. 1 (Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2007), 327.17The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History “Facts about the Slave Trade and Slavery” http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/slavery-and-anti-slavery/resources/facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery

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and small farms with free labor.18 In the 1840s and 1850s the Northern states

wanted to prohibit slavery in the Western territories that would eventually

become new states. The South opposed this not only because they feared that

the North’s stance would endanger their slaveholdings, but also to protect their

rights to keep slaves.

Lincoln’s Courage

Courage is the quality of bravery in mind and spirit that enables a person to

face difficulty, danger, pain, and criticism with firmness and without fear.19 Lincoln

demonstrated courage when he was President of the United States by abolishing

slavery to keep the Union together, fight against the Confederacy during the

American Civil War, and uphold the United States Constitution. As president, he

used his principals and qualities to better the country and the Union. He

demonstrated his courage by carrying out certain policies and new laws. These

new laws were the “Second Confiscation Act,”20 the “Emancipation

Proclamation”21 and the “Thirteenth Amendment.”22 He freed the slaves from the

south by ending the American Civil War in 1865 after he issued the “Emancipation

18 Ibid19 Jess Stein. The Random House College Dictionary (Random House Inc: New York, 1980) 308.20 United States Constitution21 Ibid22 Ibid

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Proclamation” on January 1, 1863 that declared "all persons held as slaves" within

the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."23

Lincoln’s first encounter with a large number of slaves was when he was

working for James Gentry on a flatboat along the rivers to New Orleans in 1828.24

However, before he made it to New Orleans, he and Gentry’s son Allen made

frequent stops along the river to sell goods and trade with sugar plantations.

“One night, as Lincoln remembered, they were attacked by seven negroes with

intent to kill and rob them. They were hurt some in the melee, but succeeded in

driving the negroes from the boat, then cut the cable, weighed anchor and left.”25

Yet, he had not a grudge against blacks.

Lincoln had put his heart and soul into the writings of his speeches. He had

the ability to get an audiences’ attention. On November 19th, 1863, at the

dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Lincoln

astonished the crowd with a two minute speech compared to guest speaker

Edward Everett who spoke for two hours. Entitled the “Gettysburg Address”

Lincoln focused on the principals of liberty, equality, and freedom. He wanted the

American people to overlook a war between the states and focus on a war of

23 Abraham Lincoln. “Emancipation Proclamation” January 1st, 186324 David Herbert Donald. Lincoln (Simon & Schuster Paperbacks: New York, NY, 1995) 34-35.25 Ibid., 34.

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freedom for a new nation and encouraged the American people to help him do

so. With regard to his famous Gettysburg Address,

“Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this

continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the

proposition that all men are created equal... it is for us the living rather to

be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have

thus far so nobly advanced.”26

Lincoln’s first priority to abolish slavery was to do what was good for the Union.

Some may argue his only analysis was to end slavery, but this is not remotely

accurate. Author Joshua A. Ranney defends this statement by saying,

“Lincoln went to great pains to portray the proclamation as an act of

military necessity, a limited measure that was the furthest he could go

under his Article II powers as commander and chief of the United States

military forces. In order to make this legal foundation as solid as possible,

he limited the proclamation’s effect to areas still in rebellion and made

clear that it did not apply in loyal slave states or areas of the South then

under the control of Union forces.”27

26 Abraham Lincoln. “Gettysburg Address” November 19, 186327 Joseph A. Rannery, “In Praise of Whig Lawyering: A commentary on Abraham Lincoln as Lawyer-and Politician” (Marquette Law Review) 1330.

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Michael Fellman, author of “This Terrible War” (2003) writes of how Lincoln

proposed bills to Congress like the Second Confiscation Act in 1862 to “seize all

rebel property, forbade any member of the armed forces from returning fugitive

slaves, and licensed the President to employ blacks in any way he deemed fit to

fight the Confederacy.”28 The Second Confiscation Act was passed by Congress

on July 17, 1862.29 It was the predecessor for the Emancipation Proclamation

which freed slaves of everyone in rebellion against the government.30 Lincoln

wanted to end slavery but he did not just want to jump the gun per say, he slowly

advanced to the abolishment of slavery within his proposals.

Many of the slaves were initially declared free by Abraham Lincoln in his

January 1863, Emancipation Proclamation, but not all. This was aimed only at

slaves in areas, mainly in the northern states. Subsequently, in 1865, the

Thirteenth Amendment freed all 3.5 million slaves in the United States.31

As Lincoln proposed the Thirteenth Amendment, it was passed by Congress

January 31st, 1865. It stated that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,

except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly

28 Michael Fellman. This Terrible War: The Civil War and its Aftermath (Pearson Education, Inc.: New York, 2003) 146.29 (Library of Congress) “Abraham Lincoln Papers: Diaries, Memoirs, and Letters” “Second Confiscation Act” 186230 Ibid31 Arnold & Wiener. American Civil War: The Essential Reference Guide, “Consequences of the American Civil War; Destruction of Life and Property” (Santa Barbara: California, 2011) 19.

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convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their

jurisdiction.”32 The Thirteenth Amendment in December 1865 was then ratified.33

Not only did Lincoln fight the Confederate States and slave-owners, but he

fought northern democratic views upon freeing the slaves in the south. All in

theory, they supported the Emancipation Proclamation, but were reluctant on

social issues. They revolted against slaves after they migrated to the north

because many white northerners feared their jobs. They also disagreed to freed

slaves joining the Union army. Lincoln stood against northern democrats and

took certain measures to keep the Union together by adding black freedmen to

the Union army. He explained that these black freedmen would only better the

Union army in its fight against the Confederacy. During the Civil War, 140,500

freed slaves and 38,500 free blacks served in the Union Army.34 Lincoln wrote in a

letter to a conservative Unionist on September 12, 1864, “Any different policy in

regard to the recruitment of a colored man deprives us of his help, and this is

more than we can bear….Keep it and you can save the Union. Throw it away and

the Union goes with it.”35

32(United States Constitution) “Thirteenth Amendment” January 31st, 1865 33 Michael Fellman. This Terrible War: The Civil War and its Aftermath (Pearson Education, Inc.: New York, 2003) 142.34 The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History “Facts about the Slave Trade and Slavery” http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/slavery-and-anti-slavery/resources/facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery35Michael Fellman. This Terrible War: The Civil War and its Aftermath (Pearson Education, Inc.: New York, 2003), 162.

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Lincoln also demonstrated his courage as President by standing up to a

group of militants called the Copperheads who were northern democrats that

only stirred up controversy for Lincoln by challenging the President’s authority

and protesting against his actions. “They believed that the war was necessary,

but insisted that the North had no right to force the South to remain in the Union.

It was an unjust war, they said, and it must cease.”36 All in all, they wanted only to

preserve the Union. That was there only concern. In response, Lincoln took

extreme action and “extended the suspension of habeas corpus in Maryland to

the nation at large, shutting down disloyal newspapers, and arresting outspoken

protestors.”37

As stated in the United States Constitution, Article 1, section 9, clause 2:

“The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when

in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public safety may require it.”38 The purpose

for the Writ of Habeas Corpus was for those who wanted to be relieved from

unlawful or illegal imprisonment. Lincoln was the first president to suspend the

Writ of Habeas Corpus. The Confederacy, soldiers, spies, continuous civilian riots,

and rebellions against the Union were seen to Lincoln as a threat to the nation of

the United States; so he took action to protect the Union. By doing so, he 36 Ibid.,204.37 Ibid.,205.38 United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 9, Clause 2.

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suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus and could decide who was an unlawful

enemy of the Union. Therefore, those who were caught and captured during the

American Civil War and who were put into imprisonment did not have the right to

question their captivity.

Mark Neely, author of Lincoln and the Triumph of the Nation (2012) argues

simply and in spite of contemporary debates about the role of the president as

commander-and-chief. Lincoln was just “not about to let the Writ of Habeas

Corpus stand in the way of the life of the nation.”39

Lincoln’s Compassion

Compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another’s

suffering or misfortune, accompanied by a desire to alleviate the pain or remove

its cause.40 From his humble beginning in a dirt-floor cabin to the prestige of the

White House, Abraham Lincoln symbolizes the American dream.41 The American

dream in the 1860’s was put in place during the founding of this nation in 1776.

It provides those who work hard to obtain basic rights such as equality,

opportunity and promises of a better lifestyle.42

39Elizabeth D. Leonard. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 2012, Vol. 105, Issue 2-3, 23940 Jess Stein. The Random House College Dictionary (Random House Inc: New York, 1980), 274.41 Edward Steers. Lincoln Legends (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY), 2007. 242 “The Inaccessible American Dream: Troubles of the 1860s to 1940s”

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Lincoln had compassion. He had compassion for people, nature, and

humanity. He was a man who had deep empathy for slaves. He demonstrated

this as he described slavery as a “monstrous injustice “He was angry that the race

problem existed.”43 In his Emancipation Proclamation, he wrote:

“I, as Commander and Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, do

order and declare…all persons held as slaves within any state or

states, wherein the constitutional authority of the United States shall be

practically recognized, submitted to, and maintained, shall then, thenceforward,

and forever, be free.”44

Many of his servants in the White House were black. In many letters written to

Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, President Lincoln would acknowledge his

colored servants and recommend them for duty in the Union Navy. He would

describe how honest, hardworking, and faithful they were in his service. He

believed that they had just as much right to serve in the Union as anyone else. In

a note on March 16, 1861 he wrote:

“The bearer (William) is a servant who has been with me for some time and

in whom I have confidence as to his integrity and faithfulness. He wishes to

enter your service. The difference of color between him & the other

43 Ibid.,143.44Library of Congress. “Abraham Lincoln Papers.” Draft of the Emancipation Proclamation July 22, 1862.

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servants is the cause of our separation. If you can give him employment

you will confer a favor on yours truly A. LINCOLN”45

The most understanding moments of Lincoln’s compassion towards slaves and his

feeling’s upon his accomplishments of the abolishment was when the Union army

had defeated the Confederate capitol at Richmond. On April 5th, 1865, with his

son Tad, the President was invited to go visit the office of the fled Confederate

President Jefferson Davis in Richmond. Admiral Porter escorted Lincoln to

Richmond on the USS Malvern. As soon as the Union army had cleared

Confederate soldiers from the area of Richmond, they entered the shores of the

city. Lincoln and Admiral Porter could barely get through. The whole area was

filled with black slaves. The slaves were standing throughout the town, for they

had heard that the President was on his way to visit. Lincoln’s bodyguard Crook

recalls, “Lincoln was walking through, they stretched out their hands to him and

cheered, “There comes Master Lincoln, the savior of the land.”46

Just as the President was approaching Libby Prison, an older black man

stood out, fell to his knees, and kissed the Presidents feet. He praised President

Lincoln. Others followed this elderly aged man. Lincoln leaned over, put his arm

around him, and whispered into the old man’s ears,

45 Abraham Lincoln. “Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln” Vol. 4 (Addressed to Gideon Welles) March 16, 186146 The Lincoln Institute “Civil War: Entering Richmond” www.mrlincolnandfreedom.org

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“Do not kneel to me, for that is not right. You must kneel to God only, and

thank him for the liberty you will hereafter enjoy. I am but God’s humble

instrument; but you may rest assured that as long as I live no one shall put

a shackle on your limbs, and you shall have all the rights which God has

given to every other free citizen of this Republic.” 47

Admiral Porter wrote:

“It was a touching sight-that aged negro kneeling at the feet of the tall,

gaunt-looking man who seemed in himself to be bearing all the grief of the

nation, and whose sad face seemed to say, I suffer for you all, but will do all

I can to help you.”48

At a young age, Lincoln also demonstrated compassion for nature and humanity.

“He… took up a popular cause among sensitive people, [and] the welfare of

animals.”49 As some young boys made fun of animals and played dirty tricks such

as setting turtles on fire and throwing them against trees, he instead cared for

them. “Lincoln would chide us—tell us it was wrong—would write against it,”

remembered one of his neighbors. His stepsister remembered him once,

“contending that an ant’s life was to it, as sweet as ours to us.”50 In the early

47 Ibid48 Ibid49 Joshua Wolf Shenk. Lincoln’s Melancholy (Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, NY, 2005), 1550 Ibid,.15.

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winter of 1830, at waist deep in ice and water, he saved his dog from drowning in

the icy Wabash River after he had jumped from the ox pulled wagon. “I could not

bear to lose my dog,” Lincoln recalled many years later.51 He treated animals and

nature just as if they were human.

Lincoln’s Integrity

Integrity is adherence to moral and ethical principles with soundness of

moral character and honesty.52 Nonetheless, Lincoln expressed his character with

integrity. Lincoln did what he felt was right no matter what anyone thought or

said. As an example, Lincoln worked as a postmaster in Springfield, Illinois, and

was barely making enough money to get by. When an agent from the federal

government came to collect dues from the post office, friends of Lincoln knew

how deprived he was and insisted loaning him money. Lincoln refused and told

the representative to “hold on a.” He went into the back office, scuffled up the

whole honest balance of 17 dollars and some odd cents from a jar and paid the

representative in full.53

51 David Herbert Donald. Lincoln (Simon & Schuster Paperbacks: New York, NY, 1995), 36. 52 Jess Stein. The Random House College Dictionary (Random House Inc: New York, 1980) 692.53 Documentary. The Lincoln Chronicles. Episode 1 “Abe Lincoln” (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2011)

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In his speech to the President and Congress in 1858, he stated, “A housed

divided against itself cannot stand.”54 When Lincoln ran in 1834 as Illinois state

legislator he had shown this kind of integrity.

“[Lincoln] went out to a field where a group of about thirty men were

working the harvest. A friend of Lincoln’s, J. R. Herndon, introduced him.

The men said that they couldn’t vote for a man who didn’t know how to do

field work. “Boys, Lincoln said, “if that is all I am sure of your votes. He

picked up a scythe and went to work. I don’t think he lost a vote in

the crowd, Herndon wrote.”55

He not only gained admiration from the crowd of people that day, but he had

shown who he really was; a simple man with integrity. Lincoln proved that he was

not lazy, and when the time came he would stand up and do what he believed

was right.

During the “Lincoln-Douglas Debates,”56 Judge and United States Senator

Stephen A. Douglas (1813-1861) and Abraham Lincoln battled against each other

for the election of United States Senator from the first debate held August 21st,

1858, until the seventh and final debate, October 15, 1858. His integrity and

leadership had shown greatly in these famous debates. Even though Lincoln had 54 Abraham Lincoln. "A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand" June 185855 Edward Steers. Lincoln Legends (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY, 2007), 17.56 National Park Service “Lincoln-Douglass Debates” Lincoln Home: National Historic Site Illinois. www.nps.gov

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lost the election, these debates had moved him to the seat as president in 1860

because of his moral and ethical values in which he argued throughout these

contests.

Most of the arguments that Lincoln and Douglas debated about was the

issue of the abolishment or expansion of slavery in northern territories. Douglas

was the leader of the Democratic Party and used race not only to affirm existing

white supremacy but to reinforce it. Senator Douglas was the ringleader who led

the Kansas–Nebraska Act (1854) into existence. After this law passed, it

established a policy of local popular sovereignty that permitted the settlers of

Kansas and Nebraska to decide the slavery question without interference from

Congress. By removing the question of slavery’s expansion from federal

lawmakers and placing it before the settlers immediately affected by it, Douglas

thought he could preserve the American Union by avoiding a federal dispute

between northern abolitionists and southern “ultras.”57 Douglas proclaimed, “It

will triumph and impart peace to the country and stability to the Union.” His

prediction proved tragically off the mark, as the resulting struggle between

slaveholders and antislavery settlers produced “Bleeding Kansas.”58

57 Morel E. Lucas. “Lincoln, Race, and the Spirit of 76’”, Perspectives on Political Science; Jan-Mar2010, Vol. 39 Issue 1, p3-11, 458 Ibid.,4.

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When Lincoln debated he had respect for his other opponent, but he

outsmarted Douglas with class. In other words, every time Douglas would rebuttal

against Lincoln and mislead the crowd with false accusations, Lincoln remained

calm, stood by his word, and would come back twice as hard to disprove Douglas.

Lincoln replies to Douglas’s speech in the third debate:

“He says, “Why can't this Union endure permanently, half slave and half

free?" I have said that I supposed it could not, and I will try, before this new

audience, to give briefly some of the reasons for entertaining that opinion.

Another form of his question is, "Why can't we let it stand as our fathers

placed it?" That is the exact difficulty between us. I say that Judge Douglas

and his friends have changed them from the position in which our fathers

originally placed it. I say in the way our fathers originally left the slavery

question, the institution was in the course of ultimate extinction, and the

public mind rested in the belief that it was in the course of ultimate

extinction. I say when this government was first established it was the

policy of its founders to prohibit the spread of slavery into the new

Territories of the United States, where it had not existed. But Judge

Douglas and his friends have broken up that policy and placed it upon a

new basis by which it is to become national and perpetual. All I have asked

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or desired anywhere is that it should be placed back again upon the basis

that the fathers of our government originally placed it upon. I have no

doubt that it would become extinct, for all time to come, if we but re-

adopted the policy of the fathers by restricting it to the limits it has already

covered --restricting it from the new Territories. I insist that this is the

difference between Judge Douglas and myself -- that Judge Douglas is

helping that change along. I insist upon this Government being placed

where our fathers originally placed it.”59

Lincoln implied a quote from a Senator that when our government was originally

established no one expected that the institution of slavery would last until this

day. He argues that Douglas would have never thought of that statement, nor

would anyone in favor of slavery in the North. He said at the same time, the

framers of our government did not have the knowledge or experience -- the

experience and the invention of the cotton-gin. This led to the endurance that

slavery was needed. He insisted, upon it has been changed from the basis upon

which the Fathers of the Government left it: the basis of its perpetuation and

nationalization.

59 Lincoln Douglass Debates #3 September 15, 1858

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Throughout his debates with Douglas, Lincoln, instead of manipulating the

crowd from the truth, came out and based his arguments on the truth. In return,

later on, after Lincoln was to become President, Douglas supported him, became

good friends, and was even part of his administration. Douglas even held

Lincoln’s hat at his inauguration, chortled stating, and “If I cannot be President I

might as well hold the President’s hat.”60

Lincoln’s Self-education

By far, Abraham Lincoln was a self-educated man from the time he was boy

to the time he was a young man. Self-education is educating oneself by one’s

own efforts, especially without formal instruction.61 He extended his self-

education by independently reading books when he had time or when it was

allowed. Lincoln studied phrases from these books and cited them over and over

again. “Abe read all the books he could lay his hands on,”... And when he came

across a passage that struck him he would write it down…then he would re-write

it—look at it—repeat it.”62 Facing the long absence of his father Tom Lincoln to

court numerous women and his father’s opinion on education would be-little

Lincoln’s relationship with his father. His father did not believe education came

60 Documentary. The Lincoln Chronicles. Episode 1”Abe Lincoln” (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2011)61 Jess Stein. The Random House College Dictionary (Random House Inc:New York, 1980), 1194.62Joshua Wolf Shenk. Lincoln’s Melancholy (Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, NY, 2005), 14.

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first, he believed that the generations of Lincoln’s were farmers and tradesmen.

“Abraham sometimes neglected his farm work by studying. Tom [Lincoln] would

beat him for this, and for other infractions.”63

He and his sister Sarah walked four miles a day just to attend a school in

early 1815.64 They barely attended for a short while, but stayed long enough to

learn the alphabet and the basic vocabulary.65 In 1816, his father Thomas Lincoln

moved the family farm to Gentryville, Indiana, and Abe began to go to school

again. His love for writing grew and he once wrote a poem in school.

“Abraham Lincoln is my name

And with my pen I wrote the same

I wrote in both hast(e) and speed

And left it here for fools to read.

Abraham Lincoln

His hand and pen

He will be good but

God knows when.”66

However, all of Lincoln’s formal education only added up to a total of one year.67

A family friend Dennis Hanks recalls,

63Ibid., 14.64 Documentary. The Lincoln Chronicles. Episode 1”Abe Lincoln” (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2011)65 Ibid.66 Ibid.67 Ibid.

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“I never seen Abe after he was twelve in which he did not have a book

somewhere around. He would put a book inside his shirt and fill his pants

pockets with corn. [He] would read and eat. When noon came he would

sit under a tree and read and read. I seen a fellow come in one time to the

[store] where Abe [worked], and I will be darn if he did not sneak out like a

cat. The fellow said, it did not seem natural to see a fellow read like that.”68

Lincoln showed his talents by telling stories and politicking. He practiced on

anyone who would listen. When he was sixteen years old, Lincoln had his first

lesson in public speaking.69 At age 23, Lincoln virtually knew everyone because of

his jobs as postmaster and surveyor and decided to turn to a new profession;

politics. He ran for Illinois state legislature in 1834 and won. This was the turning

point in Lincoln’s life. During this time, he met with a man by the name of John

Todd Stuart, a lawyer from Springfield, Illinois, who befriended him during the

Blackhawk Wars. In 1835, found his self struggling with his political career. Stuart

encouraged him to study and become an attorney. Once again, Lincoln had no

education about politics or the knowhow of becoming an attorney. So, John Todd

Stuart lent Lincoln law books to read. Lincoln would walk back and forth for 20

miles every day in order to borrow the books to educate his self in law. Back then

68 Ibid.69 Ibid.

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you did not have to attend a University to become a lawyer. All Lincoln had to do

was pass the examinations. He was admitted to the bar in 1837 and was re-

elected another term for Illinois State legislature.

Lincoln’s Self-discipline

Self-discipline can be defined as not only having self-control, but more so

having the discipline to train oneself for improvement in ones character, feelings,

actions, and emotions.70 Abraham Lincoln was a man of character who led a

simple life. He had self-discipline. He developed this habit by learning the value

of hard work through everyday farm life of splitting logs, feeding livestock, and

growing crops on his own land, as well as, learning how to take care of his self

while both parents were absent and his siblings gone. The hard experiences that

Abraham Lincoln faced during his youth matured him at a very young age. This

built his personality by taking in these strong independent and hardworking

characteristics in order to gain self-discipline.

“His strength was astonishing; he could sink an axe deeper into a log than

any man in the country.” A man who worked alongside Abe and his father

said, “My how he could chop. His axe would cut into a sycamore or a sugar

tree and down it would come. I tell you if you heard him falling trees in the 70 Jess Stein. The Random House College Dictionary (Random House Inc.: New York, 1980), 1194.

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clearing you would guess there would be three men at work the way those

trees fell.”71

Lincoln also had the self-discipline to volunteer his self during the Black Hawk War

in May of 1832.72 The Sac and Fox Indians were under the leadership of Black

Hawk. They had left the Iowa territory and returned to their homes across the

Mississippi River in northern Illinois. These Native Americans had lost their Illinois

lands in a disputed treaty signed in St. Louis in 1804.73 When they returned to

northern Illinois in 1832, it sparked fear among white settlers, and the Illinois

Governor Reynolds quickly called up a militia. At this same time, Lincoln had just

started his campaign to run for Illinois State legislator. He decided to set aside his

political career for the time being and devote his service to his country. Abe was

so well liked that his peers had voted him Captain of his regiment. Even though

he only served three months in the service, he never saw any military action of

the Black Hawk Wars.

Lincoln’s Weakness

Throughout his life, Abraham Lincoln lived with traumatic illnesses that

haunted him: depression, major depression, and major depressive disorder. 71 Documentary. The Lincoln Chronicles. Episode 1”Abe Lincoln” (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2011)72 Ibid.73 James Lewis. “The Black Hawk War of 1832.” http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/blackhawk/

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According to the Medical Dictionary, depression is a mood disorder characterized

by an inability to experience pleasure, difficulty in concentrating, disturbance of

sleep and appetite, and feelings of sadness, guilt, and helplessness.74

Lincoln did not deal with stress well, let alone, his personal tragic moments

hit him hard. Lincoln’s Sister Sarah left home and married Aaron Greensby. A

year after her marriage, in 1828, his sister Sarah died at childbirth.75 Lincoln was

deeply saddened and never got over the death of his sister. When he worked as a

clerk and owned part of a general store in 1832 with his partner William Berry,

the store went into debt. They either ran off customers because both were never

in the store, or were found talking and telling jokes.76 Barry drank a lot of the

stores own whiskey. They tried to sell the store, but Barry soon died and owed

notes. These notes were now left to Lincoln and he owed quite a bit of money.

He called it the national debt because it took him nearly fifteen years just to pay

of 1500 dollars. He was distraught over all these debts and they put him into

another spout of depression. These were the first accounts of mood swings. Ann

Rutledge played a big role in Lincoln’s life in 1833 because he had fallen in love

with her. They would write each other letters and visit when they could, and

74 Medical Dictionary Online. “Depression” http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/depression75 Documentary. The Lincoln Chronicles. Episode 1”Abe Lincoln” (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2011)76 Ibid.

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became good friends. However, Ann was stricken down with a fever and died on

August 25th, 1835.77 Abe went into a deep depression once again. A series of

deaths played an important impact on Lincoln’s life, especially the death of two

out of his four children. Edward Lincoln died on February 1, 1850, in Springfield,

of tuberculosis and "Willie" Lincoln was born on December 21, 1850, and died on

February 20, 1862.78

Death and Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court

House on April 9th, 1865, which originally occurred in the home of Wilmer

McLean, located 25 miles of Lynchburg, Virginia, and three miles east of the town

of Appomattox.79 This ended the American Civil War. After the surrender,

Lincoln told everyone, “I have never been so happy in my life. He had told his

wife Mary Lincoln, “We must both be more cheerful in the future, for we have

both been miserable.”

The Lincoln’s were invited to attend a performance at the Ford Theatre

called, “Our American Cousin.”80 They had first asked General Ulysses S. Grant

77 Ibid.78 Ibid.79 Arnold, James R., & Roberta Wiener. American Civil War: The Essential Reference Guide, “Appomattox Court House and Surrender” (Santa Barbara: California, 2011), 14. 80 Documentary. The Lincoln Chronicles. Episode 2 “ Abe Lincoln” (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2011)

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and his wife to attend, but they could not, for they were leaving on a train to

Philadelphia. Then the Lincoln’s invited Major Henry Reed Rathborn and his

fiancée Mrs. Clara Harris to sit in their box. Abraham Lincoln, while President,

was never comfortable having bodyguards around him.81 During the height of the

war, he only had one bodyguard. However, Lincoln’s mood changed from

jubilation to depression and he told his one bodyguard the night of the

performance that he would be assassinated.82 “As Lincoln sat in Ford’s Theatre in

Washington D.C., on the evening of April 14, 1865, just days after the Union

victory, he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth (1838 –1865) around 10 p.m.”83

Booth tried to assassinate the President, General Ulysses S. Grant, and Secretary

of State William S. Seward all in the same night. However, Grant did not attend,

and Seward made it through the assassination attempt. The bullet from Booth’s

derringer struck the President Lincoln behind the left ear, entered into his brain,

and lodged just behind his right eye.84 As Booth jumped down from the box from

where the President and Mrs. Lincoln, were seated, he fell to the stage and yelled

the motto of the state of Virginia, “Sic semper tyrannis," meaning “Thus ever to

tyrants!"85 The President was carried across Tenth Street, to a boarding-house 81 Ibid.82 Ibid.83 Encyclopedia Britannica Vol. 7 (Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2007), 369.84 Documentary. The Lincoln Chronicles. Episode 2 “ Abe Lincoln” (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2011)85 “Abraham Lincoln's Assassination” The History Channel. http://www.history.com/topics/abraham-lincoln-assassination

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opposite the theater, but the efforts had failed for he was paralyzed and non-

responsive. Nine hours later, at 7:22 AM on April 15th, Abraham Lincoln was

pronounced dead.86 Abraham Lincoln was the first United States President to

become assassinated.

Conclusion

From the diaries, letters, and memoirs of Abraham Lincoln’s personal,

political, and social life, we can see the moral characteristics that Lincoln had

shown throughout American history by others who have came in contact with

him. Within the “Abraham Lincoln Papers,” (2002) we can look at his leadership

in and out of the White House with his documents, proposals, and laws he put

into effect to save the Union and the United States of America.

How was our nation to know that a simple, poor farm boy, born and raised

in a log cabin in Kentucky, would grow to become one of America’s most

influential leaders? The experiences as farmer, store clerk, postmaster, surveyor,

lawyer, politician, senator, and president, only built his reputation. These

experiences would lead him to strength and courage later on to carry out our

country to peace and freedom. His leadership qualities such as compassion,

courage, integrity, self-discipline, and self-education led Lincoln to become who

86 Library of Congress. “Abraham Lincoln Papers: Diaries, Memoirs, and Letters. Assassination of Abraham Lincoln(http://memory.loc.gov/amen/alhtml/malhome/aointor.html), 2002

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he was: a man of character. His leadership and character started at an early age

and stayed with him until his death by assassination in 1865.

Abraham Lincoln was a man of character by the things that challenged him

in everyday life. Whether it was his personal life, his political career, or his order

to carry out the Emancipation Proclamation and the fight to keep the Union

together during the American Civil War; Honest Abe, the Great Emancipator,

Abraham Lincoln was not hypocritical. He was a simple man that lived an A-

typical life. He never gave up on himself nor his fellow citizens, or the country in

which he stood for, the United States of America. Abraham Lincoln was a man of

character.

Final Thoughts: Lincoln’s Courage

Abraham Lincoln was a true American hero. His strong faith and courage was

shown throughout a time when our country was in great despair. He was faced

with overwhelming tasks as President during the American Civil War and rose

above the obstacles and tragedies that were placed before him. I believe that if

he would not have initiated the Emancipation Proclamation and had fought the

Confederacy in order to uphold the Constitution and preserve the Union, then

this country would still be half free and half slave. If not half free and half slave,

then the black Americans would not have any confidence to overcome their

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struggles that they would face in the future: the American Civil Rights Acts of the

1960s and the many freedoms in which they deliberately sought to achieve. From

the Emancipation Proclamation, the freeing of slaves, ending the American Civil

War, and his honorable courage to uphold the Constitution, there would be none

other person to represent a true American for the United States at that time in

history like Abraham Lincoln.

Final Thoughts: Lincoln’s Compassion

Throughout his career as President, Lincoln showed great concern and care for

the United States of America and its future. He cared not just for one type of

ethnicity, but all people, no matter what race or origin. He proved this to be true

when he had shown great compassion towards blacks when he freed them

putting forth the Emancipation Proclamation. He treated them just the same,

because in the Declaration of Independence it states that “all men are created

equal.”

Final Thoughts: Lincoln’s Integrity

Abraham Lincoln quoted during his life, “I do the very best I know how - the very

best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.”87 Lincoln did keep on

87 Abraham Lincoln Integrity Quotes. http://www.abraham-lincoln-quotations.com/abraham-lincoln-integrity-quotes.php

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going to the end and with every honest intention. He proved to be a simple man

that was not afraid of work, and would help anyone in need even if it were an

animal. Throughout his political career, even his own opponents, like Stephen

Douglas, never held a grudge against him. This shows that Abraham Lincoln

believed in doing the right thing for not only himself, but for his family, friends,

and the American people. Morally, Abraham Lincoln had integrity.

Final Thoughts: Lincoln’s Self-discipline

Raised on a farm with long hours of labor and hard work, such as chopping wood,

feeding cattle, tending to everyday life chores, Abraham Lincoln learned the value

and earned the value of self-discipline. Lincoln disciplined his self by working

towards the many accomplishments during his life. As store clerk, ferryman,

surveyor, postmaster, military captain, lawyer, Illinois State legislator, Senator,

and President, he gained experience from all these skills and practices. From this

self-discipline, he controlled his nature as human being that entitled him to moral

and ethical values that brought respect to his name.

Final Thoughts: Lincoln’s Self-education

Even though he may not have attended a university nor had many years of formal

education, Abraham Lincoln proved to be educated by seeking his education in his

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own way. He worked hard towards his education by reading constantly and

studying in between farm work, multiple jobs, and his career. If it was one thing

that he never gave up on, it was his education. His humor for writing and telling

stories gained popularity with the American people. With his devotion to his self-

education, he only bettered his opportunity as leader of the United States, and

prepared himself for his purpose in life: to lead our nation during the American

Civil War.

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