Ekow Bartels-Kodwo

FYS Assassination of Lincoln

12th April 2010

The Lincoln Factor

It has been over 200 years since his birth and almost exactly 155 years since his shooting and subsequent death and yet President Abraham ‘honest Abe’ Lincoln is still very significant today. Issues he dealt with are significant today and today’s leaders look to him when seeking direction on such issues. He is presently not just a political icon but also a national one, he didn’t just keep a country together, he preserved a nation, his legacy does not only lie in textbooks but also in the hearts and minds of Americans country-wide. Twenty-seven presidents have come and passed since the demise of

President Lincoln, none, many historians would argue, have had the impact and lasting impact on America that Lincoln has. What unique trait did Lincoln possess that makes him stand out? How did he affect so many people so far and wide? What endeared him to people thousands of miles away though he was so hated in his own country? Did history make for itself a Lincoln by using the ‘best’ possible leader at the time or is

Lincoln truly unique in the sense that he possessed certain characteristics in unreal proportions which made him into the perpetually revered leader that he is? If these traits exist, what are they? Do any other leaders possess these qualities? What happens to leaders in the absence of these qualities? Can these qualities be acquired or are they innate? Can these qualities be applied to our lives? These are the questions I sought to answer when I set out on this project. Why was there such an international outpour of grief when Lincoln died? In other words why was Lincoln so widely celebrated upon his death, in a world without television or the internet? There are a number of reasons for this. In searching for reasons for this, I looked into international correspondence not only to the United

States government, but also Americans in the Diaspora and other people abroad. Some popular of the words used to describe him in these letters were illustrious, noble, citizen, statesman, ablest, venerable, martyr and overcomer. He stood as a beacon to freedom-seekers around the world as the chief of the free world. He stood for the

‘liberty of the great republic that he so nobly represent[ed].’1 In looking at this, I will look critically at some of the words used to describe him in these letters and decrees.

Firstly, Lincoln was admired by the world leadership because of the difficulties he transgressed to stand for the things he believed in, the adversity he struggled against in making sure that all, not just members of his race, were guaranteed of civil liberties.2 3

His dogmatic perseverance in the face of intense opposition and even hatred by the very people that he put himself up for election to serve endeared him towards foreigners especially since he was fighting for the rights of ‘foreigners’. His unrelenting push towards a United States that doesn’t deny human beings rights was inspirational to leaders and people the world over, and continues to do so today. This was such an inspiration so much so that a town in the capital province of Argentina, Buenos Ayres was named after the president.

3 A primary reason the international community admired the leadership of Lincoln and deeply mourned his demise was because of his noble nature. Even to the international community, he wasn’t called ‘honest Abe’ for nothing. People and leaders alike all over the world saw Lincoln to be a true and virtuous leader who they hoped to emulate. In the words of Lothrop Motley ‘Never was such a vast political power placed in purer hands’4

They also felt that the leadership of Lincoln had been a successful one but he hadn’t lived long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labour.5 Their heartfelt sorrow was especially expressed in the fact that he had barely won the war and was killed without having the pleasure of living in a post-war United States of America.6 They believed that a victory for the principles that he believed in was not only a victory for the people who believed in such ideals, but a victory for the world at large. 7

Last but certainly not least of the characteristics that is most admired by the international community and effectively immortalised him is that he became a martyr.

This is interestingly enough a big paradox because his unfortunate demise immortalised him in the international community. Since the advent of civilisation, many people have been killed in the course of fighting for a cause. A number of leaders have been killed in such a manner. Whenever this happens, supporters of the slain leader often ride on the assassination and use it to inspire and sustain their cause. Joan of Arc and more recently

Lebanese Rafik Harriri are examples of leaders whose killings inspired a revolutionary

7 backlash. This kind of revolution wasn’t only a political revolution, but an ideological one as well. These unjust acts, including in the case of Lincoln, do not only shape the country politically, they also shape the way people think. However, there is something special about the Lincoln case. His death inspired and caused change not only in the

United States, but in the world at large. From Austria to the tiny nation of Liberia, people everywhere and from all walks of life were forced to ponder the effects of the assassination as well as mourn the passing of an illustrious leader.

So after finding this out, I asked myself, what about ‘honest Abe’ makes him so appealing even to young people of today? What then is Lincoln’s significance today?

Why would a poll by the CNN name him the best chief executive even after 27 presidents after him were elected? What are the characteristics that he embodies that makes him be the standard today? To find this out, I studied a number of non-partisan presidential surveys for historians as well as interviewed students on campus.

Resoundingly Lincoln placed first out of up to forty-two presidents that appeared on the surveys. The categories used crises management, economic management, relations with congress and international relation. Abraham Lincoln continually scored highest in most of these categories with his worst category as president being relations with congress, which can be explained by his comparatively moderate approach to the war and other things that met stiff opposition from the radicals in congress and the fact that politically he dealt with one of the widest and most across-the-divide congresses that any president has had to deal with. The major policy disagreements within Lincoln’s congress could not have been more polarizing. President Lincoln came third in this his worst category. His successor Andrew Johnson wasn’t so lucky, in all of these polls he came in last in this category. His high rating in the international relations category explains why there was such an outburst of grief around the world when he died.

Public persuasion and moral authority are two other categories that these surveys gave marks for. In the two times that the news network CNN carried out this survey,

Lincoln topped all forty-one and forty-two past presidents, showing that morality and the ability to arouse and inspire a people are today, very important traits that leaders must have. Reading speeches made by Lincoln only confirm that not only was he simple and honest with his audience, he was also a crowd-mover. Upon reading this a critical question comes to mind. What would have been the result of a similar survey carried out right after the Lincoln presidency? Would he have scored so high on public persuasion for example? In the words of ex-President Bush junior, you cannot get the full breadth of an administration until time has passed.8

With this in mind I set about interviewing students. I did this because even though I had the scholarly and retrospective view on Lincoln, I wanted to know what makes him so significant and popular to young people even today. The format of the interview was simple in order to make it possible for respondents to (willingly) give their frank opinions. I asked them three questions; why was Lincoln so significant in his day, why he still is significant today, and finally I asked them to describe Lincoln in 5 words. This way I could look at reactions today and compare them to what people thought and felt about Lincoln back then. This investigation brought up some interesting results.

In conclusion, I looked at my life question, which ‘was how do I positively affect as many people as I possibly can, in the best way that I can?’ In answering this question I discovered that the way to do this would be to be a great leader but also a great servant.

8 Using President Lincoln, I set about not only trying to make good grades in this class and improve my writing as this is a writing seminar, but also to search for answers to this question and discover how to apply it to my life. This is what I found. I order to be a

‘Lincoln’ you would have to influence people over a wide geographical area and also, your legacy has to outlast, affect, and inspire many generations. Simply put, you have to affect people all over the world for a very long time. This is where George Bush’s comment comes into play. There can be general consensus about who is a good leader using contemporary opinion, but the true great leader is evaluated by people who have to live with his decisions decades down the road. This is what Lincoln is; an undying legacy.

Bibliography

Wood, Bradford Robert. "Denmark Mr. Wood to Mr. Seward: The Legation of the United States." In Executive documents printed by order of the House of representatives, during the first session of the thirty-ninth Congress 1865-'66, 44. Washington, DC: Library of Congress. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/FRUS/ FRUSidx? type=turn&entity=FRUS.FRUS186566p4.p0116&id=FRUS.FRUS186566p4&isize=M (accessed April 26, 2010).

1. Berghans. "Motion to order." In Executive documents printed by order of the House of Representatives, during the first session of the 39th Congress, 1865-'66, 14-18. Washington, DC: Library of congress. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/FRUS/ FRUSidx? type=turn&entity=FRUS.FRUS186566p4.p0085&id=FRUS.FRUS186566p4&isize =M (accessed April 26, 2010).

2. Furman Students. Interview by author, Duke Library Porch, March 20, 2010.

3. "Lincoln wins: Honest Abe tops new presidential survey." cnn.com. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/16/presidential.survey/#cnnSTC Text (accessed April 26, 2010). 4. Motley, Lothrop “Legation of the United States” In Executive documents printed by order of the House of representatives, during the first session of the thirty-ninth Congress 1865-'66, 6. Washington, DC: Library of Congress. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/FRUS/ FRUSidx? type=turn&entity=FRUS.FRUS186566p4.p0116&id=FRUS.FRUS186566p4&isize =M (accessed April 26, 2010).

5. Marmol, J “Mr. Marmol to Mr. Watson” In Executive documents printed by order of the House of representatives, during the first session of the thirty-ninth Congress 1865-'66, 36. Washington, DC: Library of Congress. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/FRUS/ FRUSidx? type=turn&entity=FRUS.FRUS186566p4.p0116&id=FRUS.FRUS186566p4&isize =M (accessed April 26, 2010).

6. Glauser, J., Hanhart, H, Brunen E, “Dutchy of Baden” In Executive documents printed by order of the House of representatives, during the first session of the thirty-ninth Congress 1865-'66, 44. Washington, DC: Library of Congress. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/FRUS/ FRUSidx? type=turn&entity=FRUS.FRUS186566p4.p0116&id=FRUS.FRUS186566p4&isize =M (accessed April 26, 2010).