One of the most significant sites we visited during our recent visit to Washington DC was the Lincoln Memorial. It was built to commemorate Abraham Lincoln, which is regarded as one of the greatest presidents in the US history.
No one in this country has received more praise and many Americans would argue that he is the greatest American who ever lived. Leo Tolstoy, the brilliant Russian historian, said this of Lincoln,
"The greatness of Napolean, Caesar, or Washington is only moonlight by the sun of Lincoln. His example is universal and will last thousands of years.... He was bigger than his country - bigger than all the presidents together... and as a great character he will live as long as the world lives." What made Lincoln so great? His assasination, indeed the first US President to be assissanated in office, made him a martyr. Lincoln is also credited for preserving the union of the American states. If not for Lincoln's determined and resolute leadership, the nation of America, as we know today, would have been divided into two countries - along the north-south divide based on the pro- and anti-slavery camps. Lincoln also signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which led to the eventual abolition of slavery in the US. As he signed the Proclamation, he told colleagues who witnessed the act:
“I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper. If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.”
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As a person, Lincoln is generally personifed with the classical values of honesty and integrity, as well as respect for individual and minority rights, and human freedom in general. Often depicted as a burdened man on whose shoulders weighed the concerns of the states, Lincoln is the only president whose entire tenure was bounded by the parameters of war. Because of the civil war, Lincoln’s constitutional duties as commander in chief superseded normal presidential activities. He devoted most of his efforts to shaping the union army aims, mobilizing armies, devising strategy, goading commanders, and holding together a fractious coalition of radical republicans, moderates, War Democrats, and border-state unionist who supported the war (souce: wikipedia). Even Lincoln himself once confessed, “I am the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not one cheerful face on earth.” Asked what was Lincoln's greatest characteristic, a historian answered, "His ability to bring out the best in other people, especially among those with whom he worked in the White House." He went on to describe the personalities and enormous egos of the men in Lincoln's cabinet:
Several of them had contested Lincoln for the presidency, and each considered himself superior to the president in both intellect and ability. Because they had been political rivals and harsh critics, Lincoln could have shut them out after winning the presidency. That's what most politicians do. But he did just the opposite: he recognized their talents & knew they had something of value to offer, so he asked them to serve their country during a time of great crisis - the Civil War.
Lincoln was not only the greatest president but also the most humble. He didn't care who got the credit. He just wanted to serve his country. And in doing that, he served the diverse group of men in his cabinet. He pointed out their strengths, told them he and the country needed them, and thanked and praised them often. In short, he brought out the best in them. A 900-page book, Team of Rivals, the result of ten years research by Doris Kearns Goodwin, a Pulitzer Prize winning historian, captures the essence of Lincoln's humility, integrity, empathy, and servant leadership. She says that Lincoln's real genius was revealed:
"through his extraordinary array of personal qualities that enabled him to form friendships with men who had previously opposed him; to repair injured feelings that, left untended, might have escalated into permanent hostility; to assume responsibility for the failures of subordinates; to share credit with ease; and to learn from mistakes."
Source: Hal Urban, The 10 Commandments of Common Sense
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