Samantha Anderson
McHenry West Community High School
2011 Scholarship Award Winner

Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator

“Probably no man since the days of Washington was ever so deeply and firmly embedded and enshrined in the very hearts of the people as Abraham Lincoln. Nor was it a mistaken confidence and love. He deserved it well--deserved it all. He merited it by his character, by his acts, and by the whole tenor, and tone, and spirit of his life. He was simple and sincere, plain and honest, truthful and just, benevolent and kind. His perceptions were quick and clear, his judgments were calm and accurate, and his purposes were good and pure beyond a question. Always and everywhere he aimed and endeavored to be right and to do right.” (Dr. Phineas D. Gurley New York Times, April 20, 1865).

            Like great presidents, George Washington, Franklin Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, through life and death, made a strong impression on the people he governed and for generations afterward.  Whether lifting spirits during the trials of war, keeping the Union together, or leading a path for the next generation to follow, Lincoln was a man of greatness. The 1860s were a turbulent time in the United States, requiring a visionary leader of profound moral, spiritual, and intellectual strength. Abraham Lincoln was a man of honor, courage, and strength who bore the weight of a nation. The Civil War is the deadliest war in American history and few men could have withstood the pressures. Lincoln remains the only president to stare down a divided nation and resolve socioeconomic and political obstacles. Simply, Lincoln suceeded where previous leaders had failed: He secured a peace bloody in cost, but glorious in outcome.
            Lincoln’s title of Great Emancipator is supported by both the actions carried out during his life and by the people and party that followed in his footsteps. Lincoln made the right political allies and captured enough supporters to emancipate the men that had once been slaves. His moral attachment to the cause can be cited in a letter to Henry Pierce, “This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves” ("Abraham Lincoln's Letter to Henry L. Pierce").
            Lincoln’s tolerance and willingness to sustain the Union made him who he has become over time: a respectable and honored leader. He demanded the Union and anything that may come with it: slaves or freedmen. ”If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it, and if I could free it by freeing some and leaving others I would do it” (“Abraham Lincoln's Letter to Horace Greeley"). This attitude allowed Lincoln to end the war on the terms he wanted, because he had the support of a plurality of the country who wanted peace and Union, not that of revenge and retailiation. More importantly, though, the war ended and slaves were freed, as Lincoln would have wanted. His acceptance and willingness to reconnect with the South made Lincoln seem greater than he really was because he did the right thing as opposed to the vengeful ways of previous and future president’s of the United States. During the Civil War, Lincoln had acted with dignity toward the stressful situation, so afterward, his influence and leadership was in need to make decisions in a time of great distress. Lincoln handeled every situation with patience and fairness which made him someone to look up during the Reconstruction and for future generations.

Bibliography

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