Abraham Lincoln Essay -- essays research papers

LincolnNo president of the United States always assumed office under more difficult conditions than Abraham Lincoln. By the while of his inauguration day, a large portion of the South had already seceded as soon as they heard of his election. Nor did he have the support and trustingness of a large portion of the North either.To most Americans, Lincoln was a relative unknown and his homespun image and penchant for humor oft led both his opponents and his staff to underestimate him. General McClellan dismissed his commander-in-chief as a buffoon while the abolitionist Wendall Phillips described Lincoln as a first-rate, second-rate man who was always waiting like some(prenominal) other servant for the people to come and send him on each errand they wish. Such estimations show that Lincolns true intelligence and semipolitical acumen were widely misunderstood, perhaps owing to the fact that he was a complex and very private man, not readily given to share his inner thoughts with e ven his closest advisors. He also appeared on the spring up to be a man of great contradictions. He was anti-slavery and yet he hesitated to free the slaves. He was a staunch believer in the organisation and yet he suspended the writ of habeas corpus.The answer to these seeming contradictions lies in Lincolns character. He was both a man of blue ideals and a pragmatist. His paramount goal was the preservation of the Union. W...