The Legacy of Lincoln
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The Legacy of Lincoln by Abraham "Honest Abe" Lincoln on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 2:54am The Legacy of Lincoln By Dr. Gary Scott Smith FrontPageMagazine.com | Thursday, February 12, 2009 Today, we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The relatively short history of our nation makes this a particularly momentous milestone. Of all of our leaders after the founders, only Franklin Roosevelt approaches Lincoln’s renown and stature. In poll after poll, historians and political scientists rate Lincoln as one of our greatest presidents, often the greatest. The many op-eds and essays comparing Barack Obama with Lincoln illustrate how large the 16th president continues to loom in American history.
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Many have portrayed Lincoln as a paragon of piety, a champion of freedom, a demigod, and the national redeemer. Despite his unorthodox views, many laud Lincoln as the nation’s most exemplary Christian chief executive. No American, Theodore Roosevelt insisted, more fully applied what the churches taught than Lincoln. The 16th president “stands at the spiritual center of American history,” historian Sidney Mead argued. To theologian William Wolf, Lincoln was “‘a biblical prophet’ who saw himself as ‘an instrument of God’ and his country as God’s ‘almost chosen people’ called to world responsibility.” No other president, Robert Michaelsen maintained in Christian Century, so fully expressed “in word and deed the Christian virtues of charity and compassion under trying conditions.” Few have surpassed the rhetoric of Josiah Holland, who lauded Lincoln in an 1866 biography as a “statesman…savior of the republic, emancipator of a race, [and] true Christian.” Since his assassination, many others have extolled Lincoln as a man of exemplary character, a near saint. They have assigned him their “most noble traits—honesty … tolerance, hard work, a capacity to forgive … a clear-sighted vision of right and wrong, a dedication to God and country, and an abiding concern for all.” Historian Stephen Oates contends that “Lincoln was as honest in real life as in the legend.” The Republican was able to take strong moral positions without appearing smug or self-righteous. Numerous observers have praised Lincoln’s self-control, calm demeanor, unending patience, and even temperament. Many have stressed Lincoln’s willingness to pardon his political opponents and military enemies. He declared that he was “always willing to forgive on the Christian terms of repentance.” Dealing graciously and generously with the South, Lincoln proposed mild terms for Southerners’ readmission to the Union. As historian William Lee Miller puts it, he showed “magnanimity to rivals and critics, mercy to the accused, patience with insolent generals, eloquent sympathy to the bereaved, generosity to associates and subordinates, [and] nonvindictiveness to enemies.” Some have even compared Lincoln with Christ. Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy called him a “Christ in miniature” and “a saint of humanity,” and John Hay labeled him “the greatest character since Christ.” Admirers claim that, like Jesus, he was able to share other people’s suffering—especially their feelings of pain, loss, and guilt. He was more ready “to pardon than to punish.” Lincoln’s faith is very hard to categorize. Like Job, before his death, Lincoln appeared to
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The Legacy of Lincoln
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trust God without needing to know his reasons for everything. In the final analysis, the assessment of his friend Joseph Gillespie rings true: “Lincoln cared but little for tenets or sects but had strong & pervading ideas of the infinite power & goodness of Deity and of mans [sic] obligation to his Maker and to his fellow beings.” So does the conclusion of his private secretary John Nicolay: “Benevolence and forgiveness were the very basis of his character. His nature was deeply religious…he had faith in the eternal justice and boundless mercy of Providence, and made the Golden Rule of Christ his practical creed.” Despite his almost legendary status, Lincoln had many critics while he was president, and he has some today. Writing in the New York Times in 1865, a journalist alleged that Lincoln had experienced more “hate and obloquy” than “any other great leader in modern history.” Contemporary critics contend that Lincoln’s use of total war violated just-war standards and helped hasten the appalling assaults on human rights unleashed in 20th-century warfare. Some claim that Lincoln violated the Constitution by greatly expanding presidential powers and violating people’s civil liberties in his quest to save the Union. Other scholars fault him for not transcending his racist culture and more forcefully condemning slavery. Most scholars and other Americans, though, portray Lincoln much more positively. As we see it, during the most trying time in American history, Lincoln testified to God’s sovereignty, held together a coalition of free and border slave states, kept his fragmented party from falling apart, defeated the rebel states militarily, liberated four million slaves, and preserved the Union. Henry P. Tappan, the president of the University of Michigan, wrote Lincoln in 1862 that he hoped the history of the country would someday read: “Then the United States redeemed and regenerated commenced a new career of prosperity and glory; and Abraham Lincoln was hailed by his countrymen & by Mankind as the Second father of his country, and the hero of Liberty.” Tappan’s wish has largely been granted.
Feb. 12th, 2009 http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=CFEED0CB-1541-4F89B56F-2B71E7C20080 Like · Comment · Share 19 people like this. Vincent Mayr A most excellent assessment! February 15, 2009 at 8:39am · Like Allen Sosa I would hardly put Obama and Lincoln in the same sentence. February 16, 2009 at 5:07pm · Like Kub Vaj He is the greatest leader we all need to learn about, and may his legacy live forever. February 20, 2009 at 11:30am · Like · 1 Anne Remington He was my hero in childhood and is my hero now. April 8, 2009 at 11:10pm · Like Andreaa Mariee Akenhead Abraham Linclon is so cool, I think there is a little bit more to his assassination to uncover April 22, 2009 at 6:30pm · Like M'hamed Djeffel L'un des meilleurs présidents que les Chat (Offline) États-Unis ont connu.
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The Legacy of Lincoln
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Paix à son âme! April 30, 2009 at 5:55pm · Like Christian Carolina c'est les best of best des présidents des states August 30, 2009 at 12:05pm · Like Seth Feldman My favorite quote is in Lincoln's Cooper Union Address: "Let us have faith that right makes might and in that faith let us to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." January 1, 2010 at 6:58pm · Like Julie Corbalis you're right - keeping the country together rather than letting it become 2 separate countries is really an overrated talent. February 13, 2010 at 7:58am · Like Julie Corbalis I read the link you posted. Lincoln did not free the slaves, nor was he an advocate for equal rights. Abolitionists even strongly disliked him. He ignored the constitution as much as he followed it. Every president has done that in time...See More February 13, 2010 at 8:06am · Like Anthony Michael Yucus Julie is completely correct Lincoln only signed the emancipation proclimation to win votes in the up comming election he didnt fight for equal rights he fought the war to Preserve the Union. February 18, 2010 at 3:40pm · Like Bruce Michael I agree. Tad bit overrated,..lol. If he could have, he might have been with the abolitionists, not feeling very strongly, but agreeing in principle.(it was a quagmire to him, and he still favored sending freed slaves to a colony somewhere, ...See More March 25, 2010 at 5:10am · Like Ortyom Neer Lincoln had a baptist background,who scorned at slavery.He early displayed abolitionist tendency when he visited New Orleans and felt appalled by the Squalid condition of slaves. so issuing the proclaimation of emancipation on 1st january 1863 only reflected conviction learned from childhood. and not by such reason as postulated by critics. April 3, 2010 at 3:43pm · Like · 1 Peyton Anderson This debate is old. He took time to give the emancipation proclamation because the war was so shaky at the time and places Like Kentucky were still neutral. Any study of his writing and friends shows he was against slavery from the start. A...See More April 22, 2010 at 6:51pm · Like · 1 Randall Vorisek To be clear: The US Republican party was formed in 1854 specifically to oppose slavery. Lincoln was elected as the party's 1st President because of his clearly articulated anti-slavery position, one example being while running for the US S...See More April 23, 2010 at 3:58am · Like Chat (Offline)
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The Legacy of Lincoln
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Glenn W. LeBoeuf Remember that he was not an abolitionist. He was against the spread of slavery into the territories and into "free" states due to the Kansas-Neb. act. While he hated slavery personally....he could not/would not...push abolition until politically/militarily safe to do so ( 1862-63) July 26, 2010 at 3:44pm · Like Delgado Fitzhugh and once free he tried to convince Free Black leaders to encourage all the freed slaves to leave the U.S and go to Liberia, Central and South America. Virtually ALL Northern States passed laws restricting Free Blacks. August 24, 2010 at 6:51pm · Like David Schout Wannabe Confederates, GET OVER IT! YOU LOST THE WAR! JEFFERSON DAVIS AND ROBERT E. LEE WERE WRONG! Lincoln did indeed free the slaves, was opposed to slavery, and understand that slavery would eventually have to be stamped out COMPLETELY for the nation to remain one. He was opposed to the spread of slavery, with the understood long-range goal of slavery's total abolition. September 18, 2010 at 2:31pm · Like · 3 Delgado Fitzhugh My family is from New York and fought for the Union. Only I have done the reseach and reading and Lincoln was the closest thing to a Dictator that North America ever had. Lincoln was a white supremist and wanted all freed slaves, i.e. all Blacks out of the country, period. He opposed slavery because he wanted a white America, do your research, I did. September 21, 2010 at 6:50pm · Like Gil Viator My family is from the South and fought for the Confederacy. Only I have done the research and reading and Lincoln was the close's thing a Christ that North America ever had. You are most likely reading comments he made much earlier in his ...See More November 13, 2010 at 8:26am · Like · 1 Christopher Neudorf I don't think any of could have more eloquently defended President Lincoln, Mr. Viator. November 25, 2010 at 1:44am · Like Gil Viator Thank you Christopher. I'd like to add one more thing The suspension of the writ of habeas corpus is justified by the Constitution for the United States of America. The United States Constitution says the writ of habeas corpus may be suspended in time of foreign invasion or domestic rebellion, and if there ever was a case of domestic rebellion, it was the American Civil War November 26, 2010 at 9:32pm · Like Jessica Williams Even more then Article 1, Section (habeas corpus) are the two sections in Article 2, which grant Lincoln powers not directly detailed elsewhere. In Article 2, Section 1: "The President shall be commander in chief of the armies". Howeve...See More Chat (Offline)
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