Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States from 4 March 1861 until death following his assassination on 15 April 1865.
Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky on 12 February 1809. As president, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation and helped preserve the United States by leading the country during the American Civil War. Lincoln is still frequently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest US presidents due to his role in reuniting the country following the Civil War and ending slavery.
While President Lincoln faced immense challenges and criticism during his time in office, he was able to accomplish amazing things thanks to the support of a handful of remarkable individuals. Each one played an integral part in helping Lincoln steer the nation through the tumultuous Civil War era and began moving the country towards granting freedom and rights for all.
It's fascinating to consider how different history may have turned out if not for these key allies believing in and standing by Lincoln's vision. Chase, Grant, Seward and Stanton supported him militarily and politically through crucial decisions and policies. Greeley and Douglass advocated for abolition from critical perspectives outside of government. And Mary Todd Lincoln remained devoted to her husband personally throughout unimaginable hardships.
Together this group of allies formed an incredible network that empowered Lincoln to follow his conscience and do what he felt was right for the American people. None of his notable achievements would have been possible without the shared commitment of these individuals. Their partnership illustrates how genuine compassion and moral courage can triumph over even the darkest of times when good people commit to working as one.
While Abraham Lincoln's legacy lives on primarily through his impactful leadership of the nation during turbulent times, it's clear he was also a gifted wordsmith in his own right. His renowned speeches and personal letters reveal a beautifully thoughtful and articulate writer.
As with many great figures who accomplished immense amounts, Lincoln seemingly didn't find spare time to author books among the endless demands of governing through crisis. Yet in a way, the volumes of his papers, writings and iconic speeches that he did leave us might as well be considered books in their richness and timelessness.
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address in particular is a masterclass in concision, packing an immense ethical charge into just a few passionate minutes of prose. Measured against any golden standard of oratory, it shines eternally. Papers like his famous letter to Greeley on slavery further cemented Lincoln's place among history's most brilliant communicators.
The Gettysburg Address is considered one of the greatest speeches in American history. It was a short speech that Abraham Lincoln delivered on 19 November 1863 at the dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania four months after the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg, where the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy. Over 50,000 soldiers from both sides were casualties in the massive battle.
Lincoln's carefully crafted 272-word speech consecrated the cemetery grounds as a final resting place and memorial for the Union soldiers who died in the bloody battle.
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Instead of simply dedicating the new cemetery, Lincoln reframed the purpose and meaning of the Civil War in his speech. He described it as a struggle to test whether the nation "conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" could long endure.
Lincoln's eloquent speech redefined the war as one fighting to preserve the union and guarantee equal rights of all, not just soldiers who died at Gettysburg. This gave the war a broader purpose beyond simply defeating the Confederacy.
The address concluded by challenging the nation to highly resolve that these soldiers shall not have died in vain, and that "this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”
The speech took Lincoln around two minutes to deliver but played a huge role in further defining the moral purpose of the Civil War and renewing national commitment to defeating the Confederacy. It's tremendously concise but hugely impactful framework has resonated for generations as a defining expression of American democracy.
The legacy of Lincoln and his allies' cooperation continues to inspire those fighting for justice and equality today.
His assassination
In November 1864, Lincoln was re-elected to a second term, defeating Democratic candidate George B. McClellan. But just a few months later, on 14 April 1865, Lincoln was attending a play called "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C with his wife Mary Todd Lincoln. During intermission, John Wilkes Booth entered Lincoln's uncovered viewing box and shot him in the back of the head with a single-shot Derringer pistol at close range.
As shocked screams erupted in the theatre, Booth shouted "Sic semper tyrannis!" (Latin for "Thus always to tyrants") and escaped out the back of the theatre. Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen House, where he lingered unconscious for 9 hours before passing away the next morning on 15 April.
The assassination of President Lincoln was a tragic loss for the American nation at a pivotal moment in its history. It's heartbreaking to reflect on all he had yet to achieve in rebuilding the post-Civil War era.
While there were certainly many factors fueling John Wilkes Booth’s hatred, the catalyst seems to have been Lincoln’s unwavering commitment to equality and justice. Ending the tyranny of slavery was Lincoln's noble vision, though a controversial step for some. His second-term victory had signalled an even brighter future ahead.
Yet despite the motives, no action can undo the pain of that fateful night or console Mary Todd in her grief. While Booth escaped earthly justice, history rightly judges him as igniting more division. His co-conspirators also met grim fates.
Still, through the darkness shone examples like biographer Shelby Foote, who said "Lincoln freed the slaves, and in doing so saved the United States. In saving it, he made it worth saving.” Such wisdom reminds us that even our darkest hours can sow hope if leaders choose light over spite.
May we honour Lincoln's values by continuing his work with courage, empathy and care for all people. In this spirit alone, perhaps, his noble spirit is not fully slain.
Recommended Reading
"Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin - This Pulitzer Prize-winning book examines Lincoln's political genius and how he brought together his greatest competitors as part of his Cabinet. BUY on Amazon.
"Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly - A New York Times bestseller, it provides a gripping account of Lincoln's life and assassination, bringing the events of the time to vivid life. BUY on Amazon
"The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery" by Eric Foner - A deeply researched and thoughtful examination of Lincoln's moral struggle with slavery and how it shaped his presidency. BUY on Amazon
"Lincoln" by David Herbert Donald - Considered the preeminent single-volume biography of Lincoln, it was honoured with both a Pulitzer Prize and the Lincoln Prize. BUY on Amazon
"Lincoln at Gettysburg" by Garry Wills is an illuminating book that focuses on Lincoln's iconic Gettysburg Address and its tremendous historical importance. BUY on Amazon
My Relationship to President Abraham Lincoln
I was made aware of a relationship to President Abraham Lincoln through Family Search. He's my 8th cousin four times removed. These details are taken from Family Search on 28/12/2023.
How many people living today might also be 8th cousins?
Most people likely have between tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of living 8th cousins.
By the time you get to the 5th cousin level, genealogists estimate the average person potentially has over 1 million cousins in that group if considering historical populations. 8th cousins are quite distant relatives. But there has been enough population growth that the pools are still large.
Rules of thumb suggest that on average, if you go back an extra generation in distance (from 5th cousins to 6th cousins for example), you might expect to double or triple the pool of cousins. Factors like intermarriage, migrations, and community size can increase or decrease those numbers.
So while an exact count isn't possible without extensive genealogy mapping, it’s reasonable to estimate most people likely have between 50,000 to 200,000+ living 8th cousins. Potentially more in the upper hundreds of thousands for some. It depends greatly on family lines.
In summary, tens or hundreds of thousands would be a sensible ballpark range for the likely number of living 8th cousins for most people of European descent.
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