Despite Abraham Lincoln’s lack of experience, especially compared to his opponent Jefferson Davis, Lincoln still managed to excel as Commander in Chief. Lincoln possessed many great qualities that made him so successful but Eliot Cohen, Williamson Murray & Wayne Wei-siang Hsieh, and James McPherson all agree that his clever use of his political skills pushed him one step above the competition. War is inherently political, so Lincoln used what he knew the most about to take charge of the war. Mcpherson makes the strongest case for this when he argues Lincoln’s strong political strategy mixed with his avid involvement in the war defined who he was as Commander in Chief which in turn led the Union to success. As stated by Cohen, Lincoln’s highly …show more content…
Once he realized the public was impatiently anticipating emancipation, he shifted his political policy to include it. Slavery carried the rebellion by feeding the Confederacy’s soldiers and giving them the strength to carry on. If Lincoln took away that crutch from the Confederacy, he would have another chance to turn the war in the Union’s favor. Lincoln’s political policies heavily influenced the other two aspects of his strategy. By shifting the war aim to include emancipation, he gained more support from the public which was exactly what his national strategy called for. Then, Lincoln shifted his military strategy to match. He knew he needed a victory to frame emancipation as an act of dominance not an act of desperation. The swiftness in which Lincoln adapted his plans was the cause for success. Overall, McPherson points out Lincoln’s clear and well organized plan to thoroughly explain Lincoln’s success as Commander in Chief. McPherson managed to cover and assess Lincoln’s most important qualities as Commander in Chief in three key points. Murray & Hsieh make a lot of the same points but they do not organize their chapter as well as McPherson since they make their claims without any clear direction of where they are going with them. Also, Cohen strays too far from his main argument when he goes into excessive and somewhat unnecessary detail on the qualifications of the generals Lincoln had
Additionally, after Lincoln’s yearning to abolish slavery through his Emancipation Proclamation, and succeeding, Lincoln started to focus on his most important priority, to win the Civil War. Although Lincoln hated the deaths and destructions that war brought, he believed that this was the only solution to preserve the Union. This pacifist was the leader of the bloodiest war in American history with more than 45,000 total people being missing, wounded, captured, and killed. Furthermore, Lincoln was the foundation of the Union’s victorious military strategy and led the north to triumph. Lincoln’s strategy was a type that was based on destroying the opposing forces instead of conquering their territory. Also, he conducted the Union armies to attack the enemy on all fronts. These strategies would surely catch the opponents off guard and ultimately give the Union a win on their battle record. Similarly to playing lacrosse,
In Abraham Lincoln, by George McGovern, McGovern summarizes and gives insight on one of the United States’ most well-known and highly praised presidents, Abraham Lincoln. McGovern thoroughly outlines Lincoln’s life, his struggles and how he became the great president that he was. One point McGovern continues to mention is how no matter how bad a situation was or even when people doubted Lincoln, he would take his defeats and preserve. In the beginning of the book, McGovern recounts Lincoln’s life as a kid and a young adult. He describes how no matter how bad Lincoln failed or how sad he was, “Lincoln would not resign himself to failure and loss; instead he learned from each experience and carried on” . In addition, McGovern continues to mention how Lincoln never stopped learning. From a young age, Lincoln loved to learn, read and expand his knowledge so he could fully analyze any situation. According to McGovern, this personality trait allowed Lincoln to work and rise up from a farmer’s son to the President of the United States. This trait, also, allowed Lincoln “to take a far more active role in managing military affairs” . Lincoln was able to come up with a new strategy for the Union to win the Civil War.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected president, he inherited a nation entrenched in chaos. Throughout his presidency he led the Union through a trying period highlighted by the secession, the institution of slavery, and the greatest internal conflict in the history of the United States, the Civil War. Lincoln stuck to his principles during this arduous time and through this was able to re-unite the nation. With no historical precedents to help validate his actions, Lincoln still succeeded in bringing about the reconciliation of the North and South. Based on Lincoln’s decisions as president that led to his triumph, he clearly garners a rating of 9 on a 1-10 scale. Lincoln’s resilient efforts to unify the nation created the basis of the
During the American Civil War, leadership within the Union’s army was constantly an issue. Within the Union, various generals were found at times to be at odds with the political leaders in Washington. This was especially evident in the relationship between General George McClellan and President Lincoln. This tension was the result of McClellan’s approach to waging war. By examining the differing approaches to waging war of U.S. Grant and George B. McClellan one can gain a better appreciation for the decision making that was necessary by leaders like Lincoln, in selecting military
Lincoln served as a great president who took on challenges head on. The biggest issue he faced was the Civil War. The Civil War was a conflict about slavery and expanding it. Lincoln’s goal was to gradually put an end to slavery however, the South did not agree with this and decided to (according to the government) rebel against the country. Doing this meant the beginning of a war where a country would fight itself. It was the North against the South. While the North was abiding to the government’s regulations they had to fight the South. After all the battles of fighting each other the Civil War went down into American History as one of their bloodiest wars. As a threat to the South Lincoln ordered the South to give in and join the Union again. He warned them that if this did not happen, he would free the slaves under their custody. He gave them a time limit for this but the South did not listen nor did they give in. As a result, Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation.
Although James McPherson presents Lincoln as having numerous qualities that defined him as a brilliant leader, he wastes no time in revealing what he believes to be Lincoln’s greatest strength. In his Introduction, McPherson states regarding Lincoln’s political leadership: “In a civil war whose origins lay in a political conflict over the future of slavery and a political decision by certain states to secede, policy could never be separated from national strategy…. And neither policy nor national strategy could be separated from military strategy” (McPherson, p.6). Lincoln could not approach the war from a purely martial standpoint—instead, he needed to focus on the issues that caused it. For the catalyst of the war was also the tool for its solution; a war started by differing ideologies could only be resolved through the military application of ideology. This non-objective approach to the waging of the war almost resembles the inspired approach McPherson brings to his examination of Lincoln himself.
The Emancipation Proclamation was a document that had freed states in the Confederate States. While some people had thought that the issuing of the Proclamation wsa the best idea Lincoln could have came up with in order to begin abolishing slavery. Meanwhile some people thought that the idea was completely terrible and unworthy of attention. As the war progressed further, Lincoln quickly realized that slavery was a noteworthy aspect of the war effort from the Confederacy, and his main goal quickly became to use the slaves to fight alongside the Union. His belief at the time was that any source or thing that could even potentially help the Union was a plan that needed to be put into action as soon as possible. Not to mention, the North would
President Lincoln’s skills as a political and military leader proved far superior to those of his counterpart, Jefferson Davis. Although Lincoln had no previous military experience, he possessed a basic common sense for understanding the strategy of war. Lincoln’s innovative leadership, adaptability, and the ability to provide quick resolutions, gave the North a decisive advantage. He also understood that his time was limited and did not try to micromanage his generals. Lincoln knew that he needed qualified individuals to handle the day-to-day military operations. He found such a person in General Grant and handed over complete military control to him in 1963.[vii]
The election of Abraham Lincoln accompanied with the economic and social difference between Souths and north created a rift with in the states. The dissent grew between union opponents and confederates resulting in to deadly civil war. “It began with fanfare of bugles and patriotic oratory, with both sides promising that it would be over in ninety days” (Oates, 364). It miss estimated by both sides whereby plunged into in exorable war. Young folks streamed to recruiting centers from both sides influenced by fellow friends and fascinating military pride. Both sides were not prepared militarily to participate nor had the experienced professional soldiers. The attack of
He created the idea to everyone that he won't just be another president he wanted to make a big impact on the United States. After his election in 1861 and one presidency seven southern states succeeded from the Union. They became Confederate states. Lincoln wanted to show featuring he meant good things as a president. He wanted everyone to know that we are friends not enemies. When the southern states when I come back to the union Lincoln had no choice but to bring down his cheeks is set at Fort Sumter, he called this the "People's Protest." When the Confederate states wanted to kick them out Lincoln demand or. He prepared the US Army for war and strengthen them. The Civil War began in 1861. We can want to peace and equality but if no one would listen to him, he needed to make a bigger statement saying we are all one and we all have freedom and equality. First Lincoln's primary plan was to focus on politics. This all change after the Kansas -Nebraska act in 1950. This true Lincoln's attention into slavery and what really went on. The fight to end slavery begin with speeches. Hey speeches inspired other people to see what Lincoln was talking
Across time, political leaders have often been remembered for their greatness by how they faced challenges than with what particular skills or abilities they had during their time in office. This statement is known to be true as political leaders are often expected to solve certain issues or challenges when in office and if their contributions benefit the state or country. Additionally, history books, records, and scholarly journals will take note of a leader’s response to challenges, how they are handled, and if the issue is solved more than whether they adequately used certain skills and abilities to solve the problem. In short, challenges, when faced, allow the political leaders to be remembered more so than their talents.
President Abraham Lincoln orated a powerful persuasive speech in his Second Inaugural Address, just one month before the end of the Civil War. This speech shed light to his contemplation of the effects of the Civil War and provided his vision for the future of the nation. Lincoln’s address was written through a logical theme that focused on the unity of the country. He used religion, specific diction, and flat-out logical thinking to convey his message. The speech was given as the Civil War was ending, and President Lincoln wanted to provide a bit of light in a very dark time. He could have given the lengthy speech that the audience expected; but instead, he gave a short message of unity that fueled the United States for years to come.
The reason for writing this book from McPherson’s point of view was because out of all the material out there about President Lincoln the vast majority of it is about other topics besides his role as Commander in Chief. McPherson believes that this is surely unthinkable due to the sheer amount of time and energy Lincoln had to put into being the commander of our army throughout the four long years the Civil War reigned. This book, in the eyes of James McPherson, is a long overdue explanation of Lincoln in his main role as Commander in Chief. He tells of numerous occasions when Lincoln must make important decisions that could make or break the union army. These
The year is 1865 and the Civil War death toll has risen just over six-hundred-thousand men. The freedoms sought out by our nation’s founders, now jeopardized by the secession of eleven states from the Union. The fate of The United States of America now laid upon the broad shoulders of our nations sixteenth commander-in-chief, President Abraham Lincoln. In a term marked by the burden of complete social upheaval, Abraham Lincoln was our nation’s foremost leader. The lawyer from Illinois navigated the only internal war in American history by embodying the principals taught by Professor Grint, utilizing a model of distributed leadership to gather
Donald T. Phillips’ book, Lincoln on Leadership, explores the life and practices of Abraham Lincoln as the leader of the United States of America. Without question, Lincoln’s legacy lies as one of the greatest leaders in the history of the country. Lincoln’s style of leadership, which facilitated his accomplishment of one of the most complicated tasks in a divided country, have only recently become the foundation for developing concepts of leadership in both private and public organizations. Throughout Lincoln on Leadership, Phillips discusses over one hundred of Lincoln’s principles of leadership and practices, practices which still inspire and motivate persons in all aspects of society.