in 1865, Abraham Lincoln died. His death was extraordinary. But so too was his presidency. He should not have been a great president. He was almost totally unqualified. On the other hand, presidents with extensive experience often struggle with the demands of the job. What to make of Lincoln's unique place in history and how to look for great leadership....
One of the crazy things about Lincoln's qualifications is that, at least according to Eric Foner in A Short History of Recommendation, Andrew Johnson (the man who replaced Lincoln if someone reading this doesn't know) was one of the MOST qualified presidents in history. And he's also ranked pretty universally by historians as one of our worst, worse even than Trump. Pretty much all rankings of Presidents have Lincoln top three and Andrew Johnson bottom three. Character matters.
On the other hand, the way Lincoln treated enslaved people in Kentucky was awful. At least well into 1865 nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, which exempted Kentucky and other loyal enslaver states. In fact, when Lincoln was assassinated slavery was still LEGAL in Kentucky as USCT from Kentucky mustering out learned the hard way (they were free, as all men who enlisted were but Kentuckians were not impressed, though that's an interesting word because thousands of black enslaved people were impressed into Union service during the war and their owners were compensated $30/month, more than white union soldiers, $13/month and way more than Black Union soldiers, which was functionally $7/month). So, yeah, I finished Taylor's Embattled Freedom on contraband camps last night. So good.
Most of us (including me) think Lincoln would have handled Reconstruction better than Johnson, even if Johnson didn't set a subterranean bar. But history should make us uncomfortable! And Lincoln leaves a mixed legacy, which I think comes back to luck. It's hard to imagine anyone, in retrospect better suited to guide us through the Civil War and he's without question one of our greatest Presidents. The Civil War started essentially days after he took office. He was never NOT a wartime president. What would he have been like in peacetime?
Lincoln’s remarkable ability to see both sides clearly and to admit the whole nation was complicit in slavery might have helped during Reconstruction. Despite his conciliatory rhetoric, I can’t imagine him being silent about the KKK or Black Codes. But he might have been able to get things done still. Or maybe not.
Thanks for the discussion on Lincoln. I especially thank you for the video of Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. I remember that scene from the movie - I was impressed then too. I hear you on the Jefferson Hour doing your Ten Things talks.
I can't think of a time where our nation was in perfect harmony. We've had our short moments of good will and mutual support but mostly I think we dwell in conflict or at least the anticipation of animus. You're our scholarship and presentation gives insights for a better Union - a way to move forward rationally. Thank you for what you do.
Hello again, Lindsay. This is a marvelous essay and I thank you for reminding us of the date of Lincoln's demise. Also, the link to the scene from the movie, which I might watch again this rainy Sunday. I'm wondering, though, about the content of Lincoln's/Daniel Day Lewis' monologue, the logic you cite that circles around his rationale for the 13th Amendment. Do you know, is any of that soliloquy taken from recorded history or... did Tony Kushner dream it up? If the former, great, I love it when Hollywood draws on actual history. But if the latter then... even BETTER, because that means that the screenwriter mastered the vagaries and subtleties of the Constitution as well as Lincoln might have. And that's almost as remarkable an achievement in our day as anything Lincoln was able to do in his.
There is a rag tag group of men (There is a woman in Alaska) who are forming Preserve America Now.to inform the people how far from the Constitution this nation is at this moment. The founder is from Chicago but for some reason he came to Morrison Illinois to begin his fight.
He is not a good speaker and I doubt he really know much about the constitution. A Former teacher and I are helping in that vein.
Kennedu had no rapport with Congress which is why he chose LBJ as his second. All of his hopes were put through Congress by LBJ after his death.
Nation of laws, yes BUT why do we need to know what political party the candidates for offices of the court? Why do we need so many laws? One may possess property BUT tis up to four governing bodies deep who control what you do with that property! Why Where is the Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness in these laws? Most of the laws deal with safety in construction. A necessity. However , why do the enforcers of these safety laws need such high salaries simply to inspect a home?
Why do assessors for property tax not inspect the homes to get a true tax value? Whiteside County has been overcharging my family for years on the premise that there is a 400 square foot basement under this house. No one has ever looked the property over except driving by or flying overhead!!! I have a partial basement of about 49 square feet. Will I ever get compensated? No, the county does not do refunds of any kind. The house is a post WWII home constructed around 1950 using the quanset model of the military. Lifespan of about 13 years. Well my lady professor, there are about a dozen still in existence between Whiteside County Illinois and Clinton county Iowa
The county estimated the house was built in 1960! The property area has not been calculated even though all of the dimensions are on the property map. The county tossed out the Abstracts of Title when they automated. Said abstract tracked the entire history of the property up to my families ownership. It contained date, time, location of ownership, and by whom.
Back to the Constitution of the nation. I shall bet you the best steak dinner wherever you wish that not one congressman can tell you when the last time Congress declared war and against whom or where the legal definition of treason is found. We began drifted from the Constitution in the late 1800's with taxes levied to pay for the Civil War. In the early 1900's Progressives took us far afield of the constitution by creating the Bureaucracy which only got worse under FDR.
I shall stop for now.....I did watch that entire movie last year.
I am almost finished with the Mourning of the President. Excellent information.....thank you....keep up the good work
One of the crazy things about Lincoln's qualifications is that, at least according to Eric Foner in A Short History of Recommendation, Andrew Johnson (the man who replaced Lincoln if someone reading this doesn't know) was one of the MOST qualified presidents in history. And he's also ranked pretty universally by historians as one of our worst, worse even than Trump. Pretty much all rankings of Presidents have Lincoln top three and Andrew Johnson bottom three. Character matters.
On the other hand, the way Lincoln treated enslaved people in Kentucky was awful. At least well into 1865 nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, which exempted Kentucky and other loyal enslaver states. In fact, when Lincoln was assassinated slavery was still LEGAL in Kentucky as USCT from Kentucky mustering out learned the hard way (they were free, as all men who enlisted were but Kentuckians were not impressed, though that's an interesting word because thousands of black enslaved people were impressed into Union service during the war and their owners were compensated $30/month, more than white union soldiers, $13/month and way more than Black Union soldiers, which was functionally $7/month). So, yeah, I finished Taylor's Embattled Freedom on contraband camps last night. So good.
Most of us (including me) think Lincoln would have handled Reconstruction better than Johnson, even if Johnson didn't set a subterranean bar. But history should make us uncomfortable! And Lincoln leaves a mixed legacy, which I think comes back to luck. It's hard to imagine anyone, in retrospect better suited to guide us through the Civil War and he's without question one of our greatest Presidents. The Civil War started essentially days after he took office. He was never NOT a wartime president. What would he have been like in peacetime?
Lincoln’s remarkable ability to see both sides clearly and to admit the whole nation was complicit in slavery might have helped during Reconstruction. Despite his conciliatory rhetoric, I can’t imagine him being silent about the KKK or Black Codes. But he might have been able to get things done still. Or maybe not.
Lindsay,
Thanks for the discussion on Lincoln. I especially thank you for the video of Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. I remember that scene from the movie - I was impressed then too. I hear you on the Jefferson Hour doing your Ten Things talks.
I can't think of a time where our nation was in perfect harmony. We've had our short moments of good will and mutual support but mostly I think we dwell in conflict or at least the anticipation of animus. You're our scholarship and presentation gives insights for a better Union - a way to move forward rationally. Thank you for what you do.
Hello again, Lindsay. This is a marvelous essay and I thank you for reminding us of the date of Lincoln's demise. Also, the link to the scene from the movie, which I might watch again this rainy Sunday. I'm wondering, though, about the content of Lincoln's/Daniel Day Lewis' monologue, the logic you cite that circles around his rationale for the 13th Amendment. Do you know, is any of that soliloquy taken from recorded history or... did Tony Kushner dream it up? If the former, great, I love it when Hollywood draws on actual history. But if the latter then... even BETTER, because that means that the screenwriter mastered the vagaries and subtleties of the Constitution as well as Lincoln might have. And that's almost as remarkable an achievement in our day as anything Lincoln was able to do in his.
There is a rag tag group of men (There is a woman in Alaska) who are forming Preserve America Now.to inform the people how far from the Constitution this nation is at this moment. The founder is from Chicago but for some reason he came to Morrison Illinois to begin his fight.
He is not a good speaker and I doubt he really know much about the constitution. A Former teacher and I are helping in that vein.
Kennedu had no rapport with Congress which is why he chose LBJ as his second. All of his hopes were put through Congress by LBJ after his death.
Nation of laws, yes BUT why do we need to know what political party the candidates for offices of the court? Why do we need so many laws? One may possess property BUT tis up to four governing bodies deep who control what you do with that property! Why Where is the Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness in these laws? Most of the laws deal with safety in construction. A necessity. However , why do the enforcers of these safety laws need such high salaries simply to inspect a home?
Why do assessors for property tax not inspect the homes to get a true tax value? Whiteside County has been overcharging my family for years on the premise that there is a 400 square foot basement under this house. No one has ever looked the property over except driving by or flying overhead!!! I have a partial basement of about 49 square feet. Will I ever get compensated? No, the county does not do refunds of any kind. The house is a post WWII home constructed around 1950 using the quanset model of the military. Lifespan of about 13 years. Well my lady professor, there are about a dozen still in existence between Whiteside County Illinois and Clinton county Iowa
The county estimated the house was built in 1960! The property area has not been calculated even though all of the dimensions are on the property map. The county tossed out the Abstracts of Title when they automated. Said abstract tracked the entire history of the property up to my families ownership. It contained date, time, location of ownership, and by whom.
Back to the Constitution of the nation. I shall bet you the best steak dinner wherever you wish that not one congressman can tell you when the last time Congress declared war and against whom or where the legal definition of treason is found. We began drifted from the Constitution in the late 1800's with taxes levied to pay for the Civil War. In the early 1900's Progressives took us far afield of the constitution by creating the Bureaucracy which only got worse under FDR.
I shall stop for now.....I did watch that entire movie last year.
I am almost finished with the Mourning of the President. Excellent information.....thank you....keep up the good work