[Persons in History] Growth, Leadership, and Re-lighting of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln's myth re-examined
Lincoln is regarded as the greatest president in the United States not because of the emancipation of slaves, but because of his achievements in protecting the United States as a 'one country'. By the time Lincoln took office, the North and South of the United States had no reason to coexist as a single country due to differences in economic and social conditions. As commerce and industry developed in the North, it needed strong federal support and protection, as well as an abundant and free workforce. The southern part was still mainly plantation agriculture led by large farms, so rather than the intervention of the federal government, it needed autonomy power suitable for each local situation and a constrained labor force represented by slavery. Slavery became a symbol of this inter-Korean conflict.
After the Southern states lost the presidential election, they immediately began to break out of the Union. In fact, even in the north at the time, there were a lot of opinions that it was better to live apart from the south. The southern states, who broke away from the Union, did not think Lincoln would even mobilize his troops to stop them. But Lincoln was determined to defend the Union, which led to war. When the war broke out, Lincoln felt that the emancipation of slaves was necessary to win the war for the survival of the Union, and he did it.
“My supreme purpose in this fight is to save the Union, not to protect or destroy slavery. If I could defend the Union without freeing any slaves, I would. And if I could save the Union by freeing all slaves, I would (…) What I do about slavery, people of color, I do because I think it will help save the Union.”
Lincoln's words in a letter are his famous views on slavery and the continuation of the Union.
About 750,000 soldiers died in the Civil War alone. At that time, the population of the United States was about 30 million. That's 2.5 out of 100 deaths. Considering that the soldiers are young and middle-aged, it was a disaster that killed about 10% of young adults in the United States. It left a deep impression on American society and continues to influence it to this day.
Lincoln's Growth
Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Hogenville, Kentucky. His father, Thomas Lincoln, was of English immigrants. Thomas is married to Nancy Hanks. They had Sarah, Abraham, and Thomas, who died at an early age. In 1816 his father led his family to Indiana. The Lincoln family started poorly in a log cabin, but their life slowly improved with the hard work of their father. His mother died when Lincoln was nine years old. Two years later his father remarried Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln. She was a widow with three children, but she was a kind and wise woman. She cared for Lincoln's brothers as if they were her own, and especially liked Lincoln. Lincoln later referred to her as her 'her angelic mother'. Lincoln had no formal education. But his parents taught him the habit of reading, and Lincoln became so interested in reading that he traveled a long way to borrow a book. Lincoln later recalled the poor days of his childhood: "There was nothing around me that stimulated my learning."
In 1830, the Lincoln family moved to Illinois. Lincoln had no intention of becoming a farmer. He got a job as a sailor and went up and down the Mississippi river. He even sailed to New Orleans. Lincoln then decided that he would study law and become a lawyer. After studying on his own, he became a lawyer in 1836 at the age of 27. Lincoln worked for a law firm, but he didn't have much work in his early days. He then met William Herndon. Although he was younger than Lincoln, he was a well-educated lawyer and had good connections with his family. Lincoln's partnership with him developed his skills as a lawyer. After several years of hard work, Lincoln's reputation as a lawyer grew, and at one time he earned $1,500 a year. This was more than the governor's salary at the time.
Lincoln started with small criminal cases in his early days and expanded to areas such as finance, railroads, and insurance. Lincoln later became a capable and successful lawyer in Illinois. When he took on a case, he always focused on understanding the nature of the lawsuit, and he was praised by many for his fair and honest defense in court. Around this time, Lincoln meets the woman he loves. She is Mary Todd. She came from an upper-class Kentucky family and was a very wise woman. In her home, Lincoln's personal abilities were highly appreciated, but she disliked marrying him from a very modest family. Lincoln married in 1842 at the age of 40. Mary Todd was an important influence in her early marriage and later in Lincoln's much inspiration as a politician and a warm outlook on the world. The two had four brothers, but all but the eldest son, Robert, died of disease at a young age. As a result, Mary Todd suffered from depression and stress for the rest of her life. Also, as Lincoln entered politics and became president, Mary Todd had to make all the decisions of her children's education or household matters alone. Also, during the Civil War, her home state of Kentucky was part of the Confederacy, so there was a conflict due to this. When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 she shocked Mary Todd, and her personal life was unhappy, with her ten years later in 1875 she was diagnosed with mental illness.
Lincoln naturally developed an interest in politics and political parties while taking charge of political cases as a lawyer. He admired the then famous politicians Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. The two men advocated for economic development and social reform led by the federal government, and Lincoln agreed with this and joined the Whig Party to which they belonged. The Whigs later became the Republicans. Lincoln was a member of the Whigs and was elected to the state legislature four times from 1834. The hot potato in American society at the time was slavery. At this time, Lincoln was against slavery, but he did not advocate for abolition. “Slavery is based on injustice and evil deeds. However, if the abolition of slavery is made into law, the evils of slavery will increase rather than decrease . ”
Lincoln's Leadership
Lincoln never managed to run the country comfortably for a moment after he was elected president. Rivals existed within the ruling party as well as the opposition party, and the country was divided into the northern and southern divisions and even suffered a war. Nevertheless, Lincoln did not break through politics by using his dictatorial power or his charisma. He chose the difficult path. He met countless enemies, rivals, and opponents to persuade him and focus on showing his sincerity. It was a job that required a lot of patience.
In addition, Lincoln, if deemed necessary and talented, appointed him without distinction of faction or party, and entrusted him with important positions in his cabinet. Edwin Stanton is one of them. He denounced Lincoln's immaturity and lack of formal education from his time as a lawyer. When Lincoln was elected as the Republican presidential nominee, he said, "If Lincoln wins this election and becomes president, it will be a national disaster." But Lincoln didn't mind Stanton's accusations. Lincoln was open-minded enough to study harder, even in his lawyer days, stimulated by Stenton's criticism.
When Lincoln became president, he appointed Edwin Stanton as Secretary of Defense. Lincoln's aides were against it. Lincoln told his aides, “Stenton is the one who ignored me. But what if you ignore me hundreds of times? "Stenton is a man with a strong sense of mission and he is the perfect fit for the defense secretary." William Seward, who was appointed Secretary of State, did the same. Lincoln's rival, he was a well-educated man from a good family. Lincoln appreciated his political acumen and strong affinity. Regarding Edward Bates' appointment as Attorney General, Lincoln said: "He accuses me of incompetence, but I don't care. For our government to succeed, we need people like Bates.” Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase also criticized and ignored Lincoln, but he too was brought into Lincoln's cabinet.
Stenton didn't treat Lincoln with all his heart at first, and he didn't obey him from the heart. But over time, Stanton became one of Lincoln's most faithful advisors to speak directly to him. Lincoln's tolerance did not discriminate between the opposition and the opposition. Lincoln was wise. Although he supported the conservatives emotionally among the conservatives and radicals in the Republican Party, he received faithful advice by appointing the leaders of each faction, Seward and Chase, side by side as ministers, giving them government responsibilities. Lincoln's right to greet people like this was not simply a gesture for cooperation. He was sincere.
After discussing with a politician, Lincoln was furious at his remarks. “He is my enemy. I will definitely remove it.” But after a while, Lincoln shook his hand with a smile on his face. An aide asked Lincoln, "President, isn't he your enemy?" Then Lincoln said, "That's right. But I have already eliminated the enemy, and the person who shook my hand is now my friend.” Even his opponents were moved by Lincoln's tolerance. Seward became a close aide, and Chase abandoned his political ambitions by working with Lincoln. Stanton was also genuinely loyal to Lincoln, and Bates said, “Lincoln is the perfect man. He was so loyal to Lincoln that he publicly said, "I respect him."
Lincoln's leadership shined even during the war. At that time, the commander of the Union Army, McClellan, was making a breakthrough. Lincoln went to Frontline Command to comfort him. He waited several hours in the barracks. McClellan, who came in after the meeting, ignored President Lincoln and went into his bedroom. And after a while the lieutenant came and said to Lincoln, "The commander is too tired to go to bed. I don't think I'll be able to see you today." The Secretary of Defense and White House aides who had accompanied Lincoln were outraged and called for his dismissal. But Lincoln said, "Commander McClellan is the man necessary to lead this war to victory. If he can end this war quickly, I can not only wait like this, but also wash his boots and grab his bridle.” It was an event that showed Lincoln's warm and inclusive leadership, not a leadership that anyone could imitate. Lincoln knew better than anyone that 'the best rival is the best player'.
Don't be discouraged by failure, grow hope
In Lincoln's life, failures and setbacks far outweighed his successes. Although he cannot be called a failure since he was born into a poor pioneering family, he never had a chance to receive a proper education from Lincoln. Lincoln lost his brother when he was four years old. He also lost his mother when he was 9 years old. That's not all. Lincoln lost three of his sons to illness, which left his wife severely depressed and stressed.
For politician Lincoln, failure came as an option. He lost the state legislative election at the age of 23 and lost the primary for state representative at 29. At the age of 31 he lost the presidential election and at 34 he lost the House of Representatives election. At the age of 40 he lost re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, and at 45 he lost the Senate election. At 47, he lost his nomination for vice president, and at 49 he lost another senator election. Of course, he won the presidential election at the age of 51 and became president of the United States, but death, defeat, defeat, and failure followed Lincoln like a tough fate.
Lincoln was frustrated and did not give up. He learned from his failures and accepted his defeats as a positive stimulus. Lincoln's 'hopeful leadership' is connected with a strong sense of responsibility that 'I have to work' in the face of any failure. During the war, Lincoln lost his young son, William. Her wife, Mary Todd, suffered from severe depression, and when her eldest son joined the war, her condition worsened. Lincoln told her wife, “I lost William and now her eldest son, Robert, is also in the military. I have sent my son to the army, so as president and as a father, you must end this war.” Lincoln also suffered from a sense of loss, but he demonstrated indomitable leadership overcoming 'unbearable pain and failure'.
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