Abraham Lincoln became a great moral leader forged from humble
beginnings to become the president of a country torn apart by civil war. Lincoln
felt he was just fulfilling a role that was bestowed upon him. He was a
fatalist believing that all events were determined by fate. This belief
highlighted recognisable traits of his character like compassion and tolerance:
“Like thousands of Calvinists who believed in predestination, he worked
indefatigably for a better world-for himself, for his family, and for his
nation” (Donald, p 15). When asked about his early life, Lincoln modestly
replied that it could all be condensed into a single sentence which is ‘The short and simple annals of the poor’
(Donald, p 19). However, these annals of the poor were detrimental in shaping
the persona of one of the greatest presidents the White House ever hosted.
Not only did Lincoln preside
over his country in a most trying period in history, successfully preserving
the Union of states despite the bitter civil war and pushing through
legislation to abolish slavery but he proved a strong commander-in-chief, fully
participating in military planning. His eloquence in defence of democracy
ensured that he was not just regarded as a great American leader but also an
icon of peace and unity for generations to come. The following is a review of
David Herbert Donald’s biography Lincoln
exploring the sixteenth US president’s unique personality traits and leadership
skills that made him an exemplary leader.
From a young age Lincoln
established himself as a meticulous and clever worker. Long before he was recognized in politics he was noted for his ingenuity by the people of New
Salem: “Everyone grew very fond of this hardworking and accommodating young
man, so able and so willing to do any kind of work. Quickly he established
himself with the men of the town” (Donald, p 39). He was not yet in any
position of power but already he was winning the hearts of the people in this
small town. He was a labourer, an average working class man that understood his
fellow man and his fellow man welcomed him for “he had an inexhaustible store
of anecdotes and stories” (Donald, p 39).
These sociable aspects of his
character would later win him admiration in his political career as a true
leader of the people who understands the homely virtues of physical strength
and hard manual labour. These qualities were applied to his leadership styles combined
with a righteous desire to overthrow the corrupt powers controlling the
country. Becoming a well known Whig leader in central Illinois he had a burning
ambition to emerge as a political groundbreaker exploring new avenues that
would bring about change for the greater good: “Towering genius disdains a
beaten path..... It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.... It thirsts and burns
for distinction; and, if possible, it will have it, whether at the expense of
emancipating slaves, or enslaving freemen” (Donald, p 81). Perhaps his desire
for distinction took precedence over genuine good intentions for the people and
emancipating slaves incidentally served to achieve this distinction putting
Lincoln in the history books as a leader who affected change. Nevertheless this
cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason put him at the threshold of an
advancing society. He would lead the way to a new era because he possessed the
qualities of a great leader.
As a lawyer Lincoln was no
stranger to the management of groups and individuals. This is evident from the
Dred Scott case in which he denounced the judiciary for its perversion of the
law in ruling that Scott was not allowed to sue because, as a negro, he was not
a citizen of the United States. Previously he had been reluctant to challenge
the Court but he felt the Scott decision was simply wrong and the Declaration
of Independence was being distorted to make slavery eternal and universal: “So
blatant was the chief Justice’s misreading of the law, so gross was his
distortion of the documents fundamental to American liberty, that Lincoln’s
faith in an impartial, rational judiciary was shaken; never again did he give
deference to the rulings of the Supreme Court” (Donald, p 201).
He was not going to let
injustice flourish within the justice system and he accused the Chief Justice
and the senator of collaborating with other democrats to extend and perpetuate
slavery. He delivered a powerful speech in which his words revealed the Court’s
abuse of power referring to the oppression of the negro: “They stand musing as
to what invention, in all the dominions of mind and matter, can be produced to
make the impossibility of his escape more complete than it is” (Donald, p 202).
Lincoln had a way of persuading individuals to support him. Some of his
strongest supporters were converts like Norman B. Judd who refused to vote for
him in 1855 but later worked closely with him in business and legal matters:
“It was Lincoln’s special gift not merely to attract such able and dedicated
advisers-and other names could readily be added to the list-but to let each of
them think that he was Lincoln’s closest friend and most trusted counsellor”
(Donald, p 203).
The civil war presented many conundrums for Lincoln both internal and
external as regards stakeholders. One such problem was with the
General-in-Chief George B. McClellan who was slow to advance on the Confederate
capital of Richmond. Lincoln received repeated excuses for not advancing and
constant complaints. Lincoln’s responses were “written less with the hope of
influencing McClellan than with an eye to establishing a record to show that
the President had done everything possible to assist an insatiably demanding
commander” (Donald, p 359). Their views on how to handle the crisis differed.
McClellan wanted a constitutional and conservative policy which Lincoln felt
had already failed. Lincoln appointed Henry W. Halleck as General-in-Chief:
“That appointment signalled a repudiation of McClellan, and of McClellan’s view
of the war” (Donald, p 361). Lincoln wanted to work with stakeholders who held
a more offensive viewpoint and he found this in his appointment of General John
Pope: “Boastful and indiscreet, Pope made no secret of his scorn of Eastern
generals, like McClellan, who he thought grossly overestimated the strength of
the confederates, and he ridiculed those who believed that strategy was more
important than fighting” (Donald, p 361). Pope’s bustling and energetic command
restored Lincoln’s confidence: “The new general rapidly whipped his troops into
shape, and he projected a direct, overland advance against the Confederate
capital-just the strategy that Lincoln had unsuccessfully urged McClellan to
follow” (Donald, p 362).
In times of dire circumstances
like the summer of 1862 when everything seemed to be going wrong and Lincoln’s
hope of bringing a speedy end to the war was dashed, he felt especially in need
of divine help which was a source of motivation when he found himself in a
corner: “Whenever Lincoln’s plans were frustrated, he reverted to the fatalism
that had characterized his outlook since he was a youth” (Donald, p 354). The
famous words that came to be his personal motto were ingrained in his brain and
always at the forefront of his mind in every situation, ‘I claim not to have controlled events,but confess plainly that events
have controlled me’. These words filled him with inspiration in the belief
that “Perhaps he might be an instrument in God’s hands of accomplishing a great
work and he certainly was not unwilling to be” (Donald, p 354).
Negotiation and conflict
resolutions were imperative in Lincoln’s case with a civil war on one hand and
an Indian uprising on the other. The largest massacre of whites by Indians in
American history happened in south-western Minnesota where 350 whites were
killed. Lincoln dispatched general Pope to Minnesota to deal with the Indians
who reported that whites who had been terrified during the uprising were
determined to secure vengeance: “The people of Minnesota were so exasperated
that if everyone on the list was not executed it would be ‘nearly impossible to
prevent the indiscriminate massacre of all the Indians-old men, women, and
children’” (Donald, p 394).
Lincoln received a list of 303
Sioux Indians condemned to death but he cut this down to 39 “seeking to
identify those who had been guilty of the most atrocious crimes, especially
murder of innocent farmers and rape” (Donald, p 394). He was poorly informed on
Indian affairs but knew them to be a wronged and neglected race (Donald, p
393). Therefore he sought to find a happy medium that offered some justice to
the white settlers of Minnesota and some mercy to the Indians. His Clemency
sparked protests in Minnesota earning his administration resentment which
tainted Republican strength in Minnesota: “Senator Ramsey told the President
that if he had hanged more Indians he would have had a larger majority. ‘I could
not afford to hang men for votes,’ Lincoln replied” (Donald, p 395).
Through negotiations Lincoln
was actively encouraging both Southern Unionists and army officers stationed in
the South to bring about a secession from the Confederacy in the hope of “peace
again upon the old terms under the constitution of the United States” (Donald,
p 397). The arrangement would make these Southern States exempt from the final
proclamation of emancipation but having such rebellious States back in the
Union would be a crippling blow to the enemy forcing them to follow (Donald, p
397). He foresaw that war was nearly over but the United States would remain a
slaveholding nation, however, he was not troubled by this as he was convinced
that slavery was doomed: “He thinks the foundations of slavery have been
cracked by the war, by the Rebels” and that “the main task now was to plan for
a transition from slavery to freedom” (Donald, p 397). Lincoln was a patient
man that knew negotiations to be a step by step process in winning complete
emancipation.
His communications skills
showed a man that was well versed in the English language with an eloquent
mastery of words justifying his ideology as righteous. He won the camaraderie
of previous opponents, urging Congress to unite behind his plan to restore
national authority and prosperity by rising to the occasion of a new era in
history: “We cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration
will be remembered in spite of ourselves.... We know how to save the Union. The
world knows we do know how to save it” (Donald, p 398). With Shakespearean
cadence which reflected his expert way with words in addressing an audience, he
reminded legislators: “In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the
free-honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve..... We shall nobly
save, or meanly lose, the last best, hope for this earth” (Donald, p 398). In
his engagement with his audiences, he certainly won distinction for his
communication skills, and through his dismantling of legislature to ensure
emancipation, he earned distinction in the history books as one of the great
leaders of our time.
Title: Lincoln
Author: David Herbert Donald
Publisher: Jonathon Cape, London
Year: 1995
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