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Great American Leader – Abraham Lincoln

            Abraham Lincoln was the 16^th president of the United States of America. He served from March 1861 to the day he was assassinated in April 1865. He led the country during the American civil war that is considered the greatest moral, military and constitutional crisis. He ensured that the Union was preserved, ended slavery and promoted the economic and financial modernization of the country. Abraham Lincoln was raised in a poor family and this prompted him to educate himself. He became a lawyer, and then became a Whig party leader and later a state legislator in the 1830’s. During the 1840’s, he executed one-term in the United States House of Representatives. In 1858, his support for the end of slavery saw him lose a race to the Senate to Stephen A. Douglas (Hearn 29). In 1860, through a Republican ticket, he was elected the president of the United States of America. His election triggered the decision of seven states that did not agree to his slave freedom campaign to declare secession from the Union to form the Confederate states.

The exit of the southern states from the Union gave Abraham Lincoln’s party firm control over the congress. The possibility of peace was not possible and the south waged war when FortSumter was attacked on April 12 1861. The most important goal for the president was to ensure that the Union survived. Lincoln instituted habeas corpus that was meant to arrest suspected secessionists without trial. Abraham Lincoln’s push to end slavery included the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 aimed at convincing the Border States to end slavery (Steiner 12). This was also geared at pushing the Thirteenth Amendment of the U.S constitution in congress. This amendment recognized all black slaves in the country free in December of 1865. He did not live to witness this tremendous achievement for the country.

Abraham Lincoln displayed unique characteristics that have made him one of the most celebrated leaders of the United States (Nicolay 77). It is believed that he possessed qualities desired by politicians. His overall characteristic is one that embodies decency and a strong moral fibre. He was kind, honest and empathetic to the plight of the people he led. He arose from humble beginnings and worked hard to earn a law degree. Therefore, he could b said to be a hard worker. He was acknowledged by his fellow as extraordinarily staunch man despite the much opposition he faced with regard to moral ideals he stood by. There are many accounts of the life and accomplishments of the President, but his life in the last week of his life best captures who he was and what he stood for.

When the Confederacy was surrendering, Abraham Lincoln asked his general to ensure that the surrendering men be left to go home without any form of humiliation. He understood that the men were exercising the constitutional rights to want to secede (Garber 56). He also knew that imposing the Unions power on the southern states would not be effective as would have been to let southern states rejoin the Union. In this regard, he displayed empathy and intelligent leadership to ensure that the United States would always remain peaceful. As a young man, Abraham Lincoln was dubbed Honest Abe. This is because of the high integrity that formed his nature. In 1835, his grocery business partner William Berry, died and left behind a lot of debt (Nicolay 28). Out of the kindness of his heart, Abraham Lincoln worked to pay Berry’s debt including his own. This was beyond his legal obligation earning him the fitting title, ‘Honest Abe’.

His followers could be described as the people who advised him on various issues and those who followed his directions. This was a premise significantly occupied by the cabinet. Abraham Lincoln chose an unusual cabinet. This is because it included four chief rivals who were looking to bear the Republican flag in the presidential elections of 1860. Predictably, the cabinet did not agree most of the time. It has been proposed that the Abraham Lincoln selected such a cabinet because he wanted to rely more on his own judgment than that of his advisers. The cabinet it seems had a very menial role in deciding what was right for the country. It is admirable that Abraham Lincoln had the ability to withstand the volatile nature of his cabinet and still steer the country in the right path. Perhaps one of the most important of Abraham Lincoln’s followers is the army. Despite the fact that not all generals were for the war, they followed directives an in the end a war of historically profound implications was won (Hearn 57). They were the people who fought for the freedom of those whose existence was trivialized. The president was keen on ensuring that slavery in the United States ended.

The source of power used by Abraham Lincoln was prudence. He was unequivocal by stating that slavery was wrong and that it was against the declaration of independence that echoed that all men would in America should be free. On this issue, he was adamant despite the fact that it sparked a civil war in the country. His moral grounding did not waver and this created a level of trust in the people that he would not go back on his word. In this sense, his prudent nature allowed him to maintain the trust he was bestowed upon by the American people. The source of power also came from his will to do what was right by the people and he was not afraid to use the power of the government to achieve social justice. He understood the importance of the maintaining peace for the continued success of the Union. This understanding is what mad him an effective leader.

The leadership of Abraham Lincoln was effective because he managed to preserve the Union and began the process that would end slavery in the south. One thing that made him such an effective leader was the fact he could withstand extraordinary pressure especially during the Civil War. He was able to withstand the oppositions he faced from generals who did not want to fight, a dysfunctional cabinet, a horde of assassination threats, and the massive loss of life in the battlefield (Hearn 81). He went against all advice that wanted him to end the war early and fought on until the Confederacy was finally defeated. Another leader could have decided to end the war early and give up on the ideals that the war was based on, freedom. His leadership style was of high emotional strength. This is especially because he formed a highly volatile cabinet that comprised his main presidential rivals each who had better qualifications for presidency than he did. His ability to accommodate the opinion of others worked to strengthen his decision for the right course of action.

Abraham Lincoln had a compassionate and benevolent leadership approach. This was in contrast to the leadership roles acquired by most leaders in the world at that time. When his cabinet disagreed with hi, he would tell them a story that would clearly demonstrate his point of view. His stories would inspire people to follow his lead and this made him have a strong grip on his authority. The stories also ensured that he quelled any anxiety in his colleagues. The stories worked in most cases and this earned him a lot of respect from his peers (Steiner 69). His was a leadership that echoed high moral standards to a point his opponents had no ammunition to refute his choice of action. Lincoln had been accused of stepping beyond the traditional bounds of executive power, but in his defense, his approach was necessary to ensure that America remained one nation instead of disintegrating into two.

He ensured that he repaired any instances of ill feeling that arose from the arguments about decisions to be made. This made it possible for him to keep his advisors close to him to avoid a leadership crisis arising from extreme differences (Goodwin 34). He shared the credit for success with amazing ease, and took responsibility for failures of those under him. He also learned from mistakes and avoided provocation by petty complaints that would have made him lose sight of what was important. More importantly, he had a mastery of language that delivered his convictions to meet little or no resistance.

Like any leader in the world or man for that matter, Abraham Lincoln had strengths and weaknesses. His strength lay in his leadership skill that was occasioned by his wisdom, compassion for people, and high moral quality. It was his moral quality and compassion that led him to fight for the rights of African American slaves at that time (Garber 33). He was also wise enough to understand that slavery would one day bring about civil strife and destroy the nation. Another important strength was that he had the ability to rally the masses to agree with his opinions that made him a favorite of the people.

It has been suggested that Abraham Lincoln’s weakness lay in the fact that his approach to the war was too aggressive. He expanded his war authority that was seen as a move to consolidate power and ward off any opposition. It is also true that he accented to the disbursement of funding without the approval of congress thus undermining the constitutional role of the congress. He also arrested thousands of suspected confederate sympathizers even though habeas corpus had been suspended. This was seen as misuse of executive power. However, his actions were supported by congress. His actions have been justified as being necessary for the survival of the United States as a union.

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