In rating American presidents in terms of leadership skills, popularity and fame, Abraham Lincoln will not miss in the list. It is because he achieved many things during his reign and people also remember him for his charismatic character. In my opinion, he is the best political leader in the American leadership compared to other great leaders such as Franklin Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and George Washington. He left a legacy that during his death, many American citizens and the world at large compared it to the death of Jesus Christ. This view demonstrates the authority and impact this man had left during his rule. Some of his achievements that the world remembers him include his liberation of slaves, which he spearheaded an ensured it happened (Watson, William and Frank, 2011). He issued the emancipation Proclamation as a means of ensuring that the slaves are free and equal to other American citizens.
Abraham Lincoln also allowed democracy and gave the people power and the chance to make their decisions that they seemed right to them. During that time, the presidency was not effective and powerful, but he made it to be one of the supreme seats in the government, making him the chief executive and commander of the armed forces.
Abraham Lincoln priority was to secure the border lines of the country, and also, ensure that the Americans were safe from any external and internal attack (Watson, William and Frank, 2011). He made it possible by expanding the military, shutting down the southern ports that were prone to attack and spend some government money without the approval for the worthiness of the congress.
However, the manner in which Lincoln accelerated in power is still amazing since he came from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest leaders in the history. He was the uniting factor and a symbol of togetherness in the country since he preserved and protected the union despite the threatening civil war (Watson, William and Frank, 2011). The war is believed to separate the Americans and make it weak and vulnerable to her enemies.
The background of Lincoln is interesting to read about since he came from a poor background, and lost his mother when young. His step-mother was very effective in his life since he encouraged him to read and get an education. This encouragement helped him to become a popular lawyer, and won cases and defended the weak in society. This position also made him known to the people, who voted for him in his political venture; for instance, becoming the Whig Floor Leader.
Despite his good intention of helping the nation, he faced strong opposition from different groups such as his cabinet members, generals that were hesitating to fight and follow his orders. Furthermore, he received many assassination threats from his enemies, who were ready to kill him any time since he blocked them from doing what they intended (Anastaplo, 2001). Interestingly, he remained brave and was not scared until he achieved his goals that are believed to have saved the Americans integrity and human rights of the minority (Anastaplo, 2001).
Weakness and flows of President Lincoln
Even though, he was popular, he had some weakness; for instance, he did not respect the constitution that was governing the government operation. To him, the constitution limited his goals by stopping him from implementing his powers.
Abraham Lincoln was a human being like other people, and yes, he had some weakness during his reign as the American leader. Some critics argue that his humor was coarse, and this made people uncomfortable with his speech. He put his goals above anything else, hence, making him kill principles that were against his ideologies (Anastaplo, 2001). The manner in which he treated his cabinet and generals was infamous since he fired them without proper procedure and could not accept critics from other people. To make it worse, he entertained individuals, who blinded him by supporting his ideologies and goals.
Critics insist that Lincoln failed to identify a strong military leadership completely since the government had not invested in training and arming them. Also, it is believed that he made the wrong choices of sucking strong army generals and filling the positions with weak individuals just because they supported his ideologies. I believe his strength in character was a major factor that helped him to maintain peace and win most of the war, which he could have won it in an easier way. Moreover, Abraham Lincoln gave people, many chances despite their continuous failures in the positions they were given to lead. This situation slowed the progress of the country and power effectiveness since these people were unable to deliver as required. He could have chosen individuals according to their skills and experience in the field so that they could perform and produce good results.
Conclusively, Abraham Lincoln was the uniting factor and a symbol of togetherness in the country since he preserved and protected the union despite the threatening civil war. I believe his strength in character was a major factor that helped him to maintain peace and become the greatest presidents ever to rule.
References
Watson, R. P., William D. P., and Frank J. W. (2011). Lincoln's enduring legacy: perspectives
Anastaplo, G. (2001). Abraham Lincoln: a constitutional biography. Lanham: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers.
