Essays

Self-educated, self-made, he echoes the poor-boy-made-good theme in American politics. His rise from obscurity to fame is tremendous. Scholars rank him among the top three US Presidents, with most of these surveys placing him at number one. Truly, Abraham Lincoln had the charisma to let the world fall at his feet.

Born on February 12, 1809 to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, two uneducated farmers in Kentucky, young Lincoln had humble roots. His parents belonged to a Baptist church and had pulled away from a larger church because they refused to support slavery. Thus, from a very young age he-was exposed to anti-slavery sentiment. As a youth, he ridiculed religion.

His formal education consisted of about 18 months of schooling from unofficial teachers. In effect, he was self-educated, studying every book he could borrow. He once walked 20 miles just to borrow one book! His favourite book was 'The life of George Washington.' He developed a plain writing style that puzzled audiences more used to gradiloquent rhetoric.

Lincoln began his political career in 1832, at the age of 23, with an unsuccessful campaign for the Illinois General Assembly as a member of the Whig Party. In 1834, he won the election to the state legislature, and after   coming across the Commentaries on the laws of England, he taught himself law. After developing a reputation as a formidable adversary during cross-examination of witnesses and in closing arguments, Lincoln became one of the most respected and successful lawyers in Illinois. In 1837, he made his first protest against slavery in the Illinois House which would later lead to abolition of slavery.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which expressly repealed the limits on the spread of slavery drew Lincoln back into politics. He also helped form the new Republican party. Lincoln was steadily strengthening his position in politics. He entered the presidential nomination process as a distinct underdog and was eventually chosen as the Republican candidate for the 1860 election. Finally, on November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States.

Lincoln's major contribution as President was that he helped preserve the United States' integrity and sovereignity by leading the defeat of the Secessionist Confederacy in the American Civil War. Morever, he introduced measures that resulted in the abolition of slavery. He issued his Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and promoted the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. This eventually led to negation of slavery in the United States. However, anti-war leaders criticized him for refusing to compromise on slavery. On the other hand, Radical Republicans, criticized him for moving too slowly in abolishing slavery.

Lincoln was a very strong orator. He rallied public opinion through the powerful rhetoric of his messages and speeches. His Gettysburg Address is remembered as a prime example. At the close of the civil war, Lincoln took a moderate view of Reconstruction, seeking to speedily re-unite the nation through a policy of generous reconciliation. Reconstruction began during the war as Lincoln and his associates pondered the questions of how to reintegrate the Southern states back into the Union, and what to do with Confederate Leaders and the treed slaves. Other than this, his achievements also included his brilliant handling of the factions of the Republican Party by bringing the leaders into his cabinet and forcing them to cooperate. In crisis management, he defused a war scare with the United Kingdom (1861). He also managed his own landslide re-election in 1864.

All was going well till this time. Lincoln was popular with people and had just been re-elected as the President. But a sudden turn of 'he wheel of fortune led to his assassination. Lincoln left to attend the play 'Our American Cousin' at Ford's theatre on April 14, 1865. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth fired at him and Lincoln embraced death soon after.

A truly rags-to-riches tale, Lincoln's assassination in 1865 was the first in US history, and made him a martyr for the ideal of national unity.