Abraham Lincoln is arguably one of the most interesting presidents in the history of the United States. Any research done on Lincoln will show, whether you agree or disagree with his philosophies, that he was, and still is, a fascinating historical figure. There have been numerous discussions regarding Lincoln before the Civil War, during the war as Commander In Chief, or his views on slavery and racial equality; furthermore, vast debates on his views, strategies, and solutions regarding events that helped shape our nation. Abraham Lincoln is such an interesting person that discussions and debates will lead to more questions open to more discussion and debate. What was Lincoln’s view on
What a fascinating read, thank you for sharing. In my opinion, this article tells us that Lincoln was a knowledgeable man not easily persuaded by others. Instead of acting a certain way because it was expected of him; he took the Bible’s teachings and personal beliefs to establish his moral code. It seems to me he highly respected God and The Bible, and didn’t necessarily agree with the church. People tend to believe their religion or way of life is better because that is all they know. I’m not saying everyone is like this, many research and enjoy learning about other religions and cultures. I assume Lincoln was that kind of ma; he didn’t seem quick to judge because someone was different, he strived to learn more about them in order to
Lincoln believed that the Declaration of Independence contained rights for freedom and equality, and could not be taken away from anyone. Slavery, Harold Holzer said, “It is the eternal struggle between these two principles---right and wrong---throughout the world” (35). He believed these same principles, and knew that the citizens of the United States had their Constitutional right to own slaves. However, Lincoln wanted to show the people how cruel and evil slavery really is, and had strong morals which were totally against slavery. He stood by these morals throughout his life.
Lincoln’s love of Shakespeare grew out of his love of fine writing [...] he worked hard to improve his own vocabulary, grammar, and lucidity of expression.5 These elements factored into Lincoln’s intellectual status over time. It has even been said that Lincoln had the most literary merit out of all past presidents of that time. This allowed him to attract many more followers because of his scholarly reputation. Lincoln’s education did not always help him, though. For instance, it was noted that his decisions to supply Fort Sumter and his later call for troops led to the secession of four more southern states.6 In turn, this later affected Lincoln’s alternate goal of preserving the Union as well, with four more states leaving and further splitting up the United States. Nevertheless, Lincoln was undeniably an extremely strong reader and writer. Thinking in the long term, Lincoln’s academic merit aided him in gaining many followers and much support, allowing him to better achieve his goals during the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln was born to a poor farming family and worked on his father’s farm for most of his young life. Going to school was not an option for Abraham but this did not stop him. At a very young age, Abraham began reading and did not stop. Abraham would continue to read the bible, Shakespeare and many other pieces of literature popular in that time. I believe that the most beneficial teachings Abraham would endure was that of grammar. Grammar taught in those days included basic punctuation all the way to Rhetoric. Rhetorical devices such as repetition, asyndeton and the use of metaphors were all taught thoroughly. One can clearly see these devices in use in nearly every writing and speech produced by Lincoln.
Lincoln comprehended the vitality of unwinding and cleverness to shake of the anxiety of the day and to renew him for the difficulties of the following day. Lincoln had a superb comical inclination and wanted to tell clever stories. He supported a solid environment of delight and fun in his administration. He additionally appreciated going to the theatre and spending time with
Growing up, Lincoln did not receive the highest quality education, but he developed great interest in books and learning.
For a mere human to comprehend his role in life is something that does not occur much, and for one to follow it so willingly is practically unheard of. Even more so, he would not let it go to his head, but remained humble and modest throughout his life. I refer back to Lincoln's response to Horace Greeley, and to the Emancipation Proclamation itself, and to all the countless decisions he made during his presidency. In all his actions, the future of the American experiment was the central idea of the war, and he would do all that is necessary to preserve it. Lincoln worked to uphold the Constitution and continue the work that the Founding Fathers had begun. His immense moral decisions in the political arena helped to secure the future, and he did it all, not for himself, but for the people.
On page 19 of Lincoln: Photo biography, it says, “He joined the New Salem debate society, which met once a week.” Through the society, he got to meet many people and became more eager to have his ideas shared. One of his fellow debaters, Mentor Graham, who was a schoolmaster, taught him English and grammar. Turning him from a boy who had a country accent to a man who could grab your thoughts and turn them toward what he thought. This also opened him to the idea of being a lawyer.
Lincoln believed whatever his peer group near him at the time believed and made political decisions based off those beliefs rather than what was better for the citizens and slaves of the country. His Kentucky background raised his to believe that White People were the superior race, adding onto the peer prejudices. Finally, since Lincoln cared nothing for the slaves, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation to send a warning to the south that he would take their property away if they did not follow his orders. For a man who is seen as “The Great Emancipator”, Lincoln sure did [idk seem to hate slaves or something i didn’t really think this through but it sounded like it was a
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1820 in a small log cabin in Kentucky. He was always a very logical politically driven young man. As stated in America’s History Volume 1: To 1877 Lincoln’s political ambition was compared to “a little engine that knew no rest” (437). He practiced law growing up and became a lawyer after he served a two year term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849. Lincoln spent much of his life trying to abolish slavery. He officially declared that he was against it in his
Lincoln was a political genius. His greatness shined when he brought the nation through its crisis. Democrats had hoped that the Kansas-Nebraska Act would calm the passions of the slavery issue. Because this had an opposite effect, Lincoln not only saw this, but crafted a rhetorical concept of both the crisis and a pathway for getting through it.
A major difference between Lincoln and Douglass were their views on the Constitution. Douglass changed his views about the Constitution; at one point he believed it was a proslavery document and then he changed his opinion to believe it was an anti-slavery document. Lincoln never changed his opinions about the Constitution. “Lincoln saw the Constitution as neither a clarion call to abolition on a proslavery scandal. It was a compromise. It recognized slavery, but only out of necessity and only three times”. (Ibid., p.63) Lincoln believed in the founding fathers and believed that they had envisioned and end to slavery in the future of the then-fledgling United States. He also believed they had to make concessions to allow for the formation of the Union. “Unlike Frederick Douglass, Lincoln did not claim those concessions had not been made. He accepted them, but that didn’t mean he liked them.” (Ibid., p 63)
Lincoln always hated slavery, but he was smart enough not to publicly announce it. His public statements on slavery and race have been the cause of controversy throughout the years, as he often seems to almost contradict himself at first glance. However, analyzing the seemingly racist statements he would make shows that they were all part of a bigger plan. Had he simply told the racist audiences that their beliefs were wrong, they would have rejected him outright. Instead, he would use ambiguous language to make it seem as if he shared their beliefs, and then use sound logic to argue in favor of his own point. By doing this, he molded the opinions of his audience in an extremely effective manner.
While watching two of Shakespeare plays , you could tell that he was a different type of person. He loved drama, the two plays I choose to watch were Macbeth (Justin Kurzel, 2015),