Most polls reveal that Abraham Lincoln is the best president in U.S. history. In Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, he discusses the “mystic chords of memory.” Americans have a curious way of remembering Lincoln.
The discerning history student ought to be curious about the ways in which Lincoln has and has not earned his exalted place in American history.
In order to assess the extent to Lincoln was “the greatest” president, “a military genius”, “a master of the English language”, “a true American hero”, etc. we are going to:
- Define great leadership
- Read documents and answer questions about Lincoln’s presidency with a focus on the following themes:
- Lincoln & His Cabinet
- Lincoln & Slavery
- Lincoln as Orator
- Lincoln as Commander in Chief
- Lincoln & Congress
- Analyze these articles in small groups, then present findings to the class
- Based on our reading, assess the extent to which Lincoln earned his exalted place as a great leader in American history.
Lincoln and his Cabinet: Listen to this short interview with Doris Kearns Goodwin and read this Times book review of Goodwin’s Team of Rivals by James MacPherson
Lincoln & Slavery: Listen to this interview with Eric Foner
Lincoln’s Oratory: Read Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Words by Ted Sorensen and listen to this interview with Ronald White about Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Lincoln as Commander in Chief: Read this book review of James MacPherson’s Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief and Lincoln’s letter to McClellan
Lincoln and Congress: Read this review of Earnest Men: Republicans of the Civil War Senate
There are reading questions for all five themes. Get them here and respond thoughtfully.
If this discussion of Lincoln is of interest, you are cordially invited to:
- Check out this video panel discussion of “Looking for Lincoln: In His Time and In Ours“
- Watch this video of Foner on Lincoln and His World
- Watch this video of Richard Cawardine dissecting LincolnÂ
- Deal with this tough question, Was Lincoln a Racist?
- Read Time Magazine’s Presidents’ Day Tribute to Lincoln