ABRAHAM LINCOLN

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Abraham Lincoln

Introduction

Throughout his life, Abraham Lincoln displayed a casual indifference to his personal appearance and deportment that challenged the prevailing standard of what constituted a refined gentleman. Lincoln, Abraham, sixteenth president of the United States, was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, the son of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, farmers. Thomas Lincoln had come to Kentucky from Virginia with his father Abraham in 1782.

Abraham Lincoln's eloquence and statesmanship were grounded in his skills as a politician. He was not only president and commander in chief but also leader of his party. Some of the party's fractious members in the cabinet and Congress gave Lincoln almost as many problems as fractious and incompetent generals. Four members of his cabinet had been his rivals for the presidential nomination in 1860. Some of them as well as some congressional leaders continued to think of them as better qualified for the presidency than Lincoln did. Yet he established his mastery of both cabinet and Congress. He generally deferred to cabinet members in their areas of responsibility and delegated administrative authority to them to run their departments. The article by Douglas Brown discusses the different aspects Abraham Lincoln his ambitions and the power of his personality.

Discussion

When historians have written about Lincoln's appearance, they have primarily focused on how his appearance communicated that he was a man of the people. One notable Lincoln historian Richard J. Carwardine, in his book Lincoln, writes, “Lincoln's unprepossessing appearance and physical attributes did much to reinforce his appeal as a man close to the sons of the soil”. At the same time, these scholars do not thoroughly examine Lincoln's appearance in the cultural context of American society in the mid-1800s, leaving a gap in Lincoln scholarship. Romanticized depictions of Lincoln can obstruct understanding the significance of his triumph over social prejudice towards his appearance (Douglas, 2004).

Different Perception about Lincoln

In the article, “The great Lincoln democracy” by Douglas Brown he identified many aspect of Abraham Lincoln. According to identify the public perception of Lincoln before, during, and after the Civil War it has relied heavily on primary source material. Newspapers from across the North, both in the West and East have been invaluable sources. They offer the most insightful lens in understanding local communities. Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements about Lincoln provide numerous personal accounts of Lincoln's intimate friends and acquaintances covering the duration of his whole life. Diaries, letters, and other manuscripts add the personal insight into the personal opinions of Lincoln.

To identify the public perception of Lincoln before, during, and after the Civil War I have relied heavily on primary source material. Newspapers from across the North, both in the West and East have been invaluable sources. They offer the most insightful lens in understanding local communities. Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements about Lincoln provide numerous personal accounts of Lincoln's intimate friends and acquaintances covering the duration of his whole life. Diaries, letters, and other manuscripts add the personal insight ...