Lincoln’s never-say-die attitude changed the course of history

In this series of articles, project leadership authority and educator Jürgen Oschadleus illustrates how effective leaders utilise three principles (see box) to build and nurture their influence over the world around them.

“Almost anyone can overcome adversity. If you want to see the real measure of a man, give him power.”

This statement, frequently erroneously attributed to Abraham Lincoln (it actually belongs to the French writer François de la Rochefoucauld (1613–1680), in Maxims: 99), is nevertheless an apt tribute to the 16th president of the United States of America – nicknamed “Honest Abe” and widely regarded as one of the greatest of American leaders.

Few people demonstrate the character and tenacity required of leaders as well as he did.

Lincoln (1809–1865) emerged from very humble origins to a position of great power, despite his lack of money, education or powerful friends. He was raised in a poor family on the western frontier of the fledging US.

His mother passed away when he was only nine, and other than 18 months of itinerant teachers, he was mostly self-educated.

Frequently mocked for his looks, Lincoln had to deal with several breakups of engagements, and suffered the anguish of losing three of his four children in infancy.

Yet, he refused to bow to the adversity he faced in life, teaching himself the skills necessary to become a postmaster, county surveyor, a successful country lawyer, an Illinois state legislator, and a one-term member of the United States House of Representatives.

Lincoln became the only US president to hold a patent (for a “device to buoy vessels over shoals”), although the device was never commercialised.

Initial foray into politics

Lincoln’s first foray into politics came in the 1832 election for the State of Illinois General Assembly. As a 23-year old, he garnered 277 of the 300 votes from his precinct, yet still failed to win a seat. Instead, he taught himself law and became a feared adversary in cross-examinations.

Lincoln remained active in State politics, serving four terms as a state legislator while continuing to build his law practice.

In 1846, he was elected to the US House of Representatives as the sole Whig member for Illinois, but two years later was passed over for the lucrative post of Commissioner of the General Land Office.

He returned to his law practice and increasingly appeared before the Illinois State Supreme Court, and even the United States Supreme Court, in cases that entered American legal case history.

Paltry education notwithstanding, Lincoln was an intellectual and a consummate orator. Yet, notable as his legal achievements were, his stature emerged in his actions as president of the US.

The path to the presidency

Lincoln’s “Peoria Speech” on 16 October 1854 marked a turning point in his career and set him firmly on a path toward the presidency.

He strongly condemned “the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world”.

In the same year, Lincoln unsuccessfully contested an Illinois seat in the United States Senate, and two years later placed second in the contest to become the Republican candidate for vice president.

Undeterred, he continued speaking out, initially against the extension of slavery into other parts of the US, but later against the continued existence of slavery as a whole.

In 1858, he again contested a seat for the US Senate, but despite winning the popular vote, failed to dislodge the Democratic Party senator, Stephen Douglas.

Bitter as defeat was for Lincoln, his seven debates against the Democratic incumbent brought him to national prominence.

His intellectual leadership and strong convictions, coupled with a willingness to listen to the views of others, and his ability to articulate the key issues with oratorical skills, elevated him to the forefront of the Republican Party and secured his nomination for the 1860 presidential election, where his life story played a prominent part in the campaign.

The Republicans repeatedly emphasised the strength of a system that allowed a common farm boy to work his way to the top of the political hierarchy through sheer effort. (Current US President Barack Obama followed much the same approach and made frequent references to Lincoln in his campaign.)

Lincoln won 40% of the popular vote, with the balance distributed among his three rivals (one of whom was the former Illinois senator, Douglas). The electoral vote secured him 180 votes against the combined 123 cast for his three opponents.

But Lincoln had to deal with an immediate challenge to his authority: he had not appeared on the ballot in 10 Southern States; and after his election, seven of those States immediately declared themselves a sovereign nation – the Confederate States of America – and elected their own president, Jefferson Davis.

Lincoln had to travel to his own inauguration in disguise after discovering a plot to assassinate him. Even so, he used his inaugural speech to promote peace and the preservation of the Union.

The power of the president and the measure of the man

Lincoln had overcome adversity and setbacks in his life. Now that he had the power to act, his true measure became apparent as the country plunged into its greatest internal crisis, the Civil War of 1861 to 1865.

In the early months of his presidency, he continued believing he could preserve the Union without bloodshed, and he refused to engage in military conflict. He made it clear that the Union would not fire the first shot, but nor would he surrender any forts in the South.

On 12 April 1861, Confederate forces fired on Union troops at Fort Sumter and the war began.

Many believed it would be over within 90 days, but for the bulk of his presidency, Lincoln was embroiled in a military and political campaign to reunify the country.

As commander-in-chief, he used unprecedented powers to impose a blockade, to disburse funds before appropriation by Congress, and to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, arresting and imprisoning thousands of suspected Confederate sympathisers without warrant or trial.

Yet, Lincoln steadfastly refused to let power corrupt him. Instead, he utilised power to promote the cause of emancipating slaves and seeking the restoration of the Union.

He deliberately pulled into his Cabinet leaders of various factions within both political parties and used patronage to pressure them to co-operate with him.

Lincoln’s response to dealing with free slaves matured as he listened to ideas of his advisers. He dropped the idea of colonies of freed slaves, in favour of fully abolishing slavery throughout the Union, and even set up a regiment of former slaves to participate in the war – believing it would send a powerful message to the Confederate soldiers.

He read widely on military tactics and closely supervised the war effort, particularly the selection of top generals, replacing them when they failed to deliver results or when he received evidence of the poor performance or inappropriate conduct.

Once he realised that his generals resented “civilian” interference, Lincoln changed his approach, allowing his war secretary and general-in-chief to act as intermediary, rather than micro-managing every aspect of the war.

His Gettysburg Address of 1863 has become one of the most quoted speeches in history, providing an iconic statement of America’s dedication to the principles of nationalism, equal rights, liberty and democracy.

Despite the war dragging on into a fourth year, and with increasing criticism from those who condemned him for refusing to compromise on the slavery issue as well as those who believed he was not harsh enough in dealing with the Confederate States, Lincoln successfully campaigned for re-election in November 1864.

With the end of war now in sight, he used his second inaugural speech on 4 March 1865 to call for reconciliation and reconstruction:

“Fondly do we hope – fervently do we pray – that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away… With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

The Confederate capital of Danville, Virginia fell a month later.

While Lincoln quietly walked through the city, a general approached him for instructions on how to treat the defeated troops, to which the president replied: “Let ‘em up easy.”

It was the simple instruction of a man who believed in the equality and dignity of all men.

Lincoln’s legacy

On 11 April 1865, two days after the official end of the American Civil War and slavery abolished, President Abraham Lincoln’s commitment to equality for all men was expressed in a call to extend voting rights to blacks. In this respect, he was ahead of his time.

John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor and Confederate spy, was incensed by the speech and resolved to assassinate the American president.

Three days later, on 14 April, he crept up on an unsuspecting and unguarded president, and shot him in the back of the head at close range.

The bullet brought to an untimely end the life of a great leader who stood by his convictions, who endured hardship and adversity in pursuing what he believed to be the right course for his people.

The bullet ended a life, but it ensured Lincoln’s work would transcend his life, to become a legacy to all the ages. He was a man who defied the odds to achieve power, yet used that power in pursuit of equality, liberty and freedom for all. 

Jürgen Oschadleus MBA PMP®