More has been written about Abraham Lincoln than about any other figure in American history. Many historians consider him our greatest president, and certainly he faced the greatest challenge of any president—a nation torn apart by secession and restored by a long and bloody war.
The best way to approach Lincoln for this project is through his own words. He was an eloquent speaker (though his voice was high-toned), and possessed great knowledge of the law itself and America's legal and constitutional history. His Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address are among America's best known prose creations. His Cooper Union address and his First Inaugural address are carefully constructed legal and philosophical arguments, both of which show the power of Lincoln's mind. Letters he wrote to editors, friends, government officials, congressmen and senators, and to the mothers and widows of fallen Civil War soldiers reveal him as a man of wisdom and compassion. His gentle humor and tactful criticisms of subordinates demonstrate that while he was firm in his convictions, he was also a warm and considerate human being. He deserves his place on Mount Rushmore beside Washington, Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt.
Links
Lincoln Writings
- Fragment on Slavery
- 1854 Speech against the extension of slavery.
- Excerpts from the Lincoln-Douglas debates
- Lincoln's Cooper Union Address
- First Inaugural Address
- Second Inaugural Address
- Letter to Horace Greeley
- Letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby