Lincoln
Sunday, February 12, was Abraham Lincoln's birthday. With very few exceptions, the country--North and South-- completely ignored it. Instead, they lump the anniversary of our greatest President together with that of George Washington for the sake of a convenient long weekend and retail sales events.
Such oversight would be troubling at any juncture in our history but it is far more disturbing in this era when the intelligent, decisive compassion of Lincoln is sorely missed.
Compare these lines from Lincoln's second inaugural when the newly-re-elected President said "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” to those of the current President who upon his re-election gloated, “I’ve earned political capital and I intend to spend it!”
Or consider the attitude behind the sentiments in Lincoln’s first inaugural address when, speaking to supporters and detractors alike he said “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” with those of George Bush who only a few weeks ago urged his fellow Republicans not to “lose their nerve” as they attempted to further institutionalize an agenda not shared by a significant majority of Americans.
In a review of a new biography of Lincoln by Richard Carwardine, Lincoln A life of Purpose and Power, Kevin Baker asserted "most Americans would probably not be surprised to learn that once upon a time such a model president [such as those portrayed on contemporary television] actually walked the hustings...." He is sadly mistaken. Most Americans remain completely ignorant of Lincoln's complex character. To understand the ideals of Lincoln, the leader and man, we need more than the fine works that continue to issue forth from Carwardine, Doris Kearns and others that, sadly, are read by a very small portion of the populace; we need the press --periodicals, newspapers and especially television-- and the schools to play a more active role in keeping alive his legacy. All of them can start by acknowledging the anniversary of his life and the details of it.
Such oversight would be troubling at any juncture in our history but it is far more disturbing in this era when the intelligent, decisive compassion of Lincoln is sorely missed.
Compare these lines from Lincoln's second inaugural when the newly-re-elected President said "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” to those of the current President who upon his re-election gloated, “I’ve earned political capital and I intend to spend it!”
Or consider the attitude behind the sentiments in Lincoln’s first inaugural address when, speaking to supporters and detractors alike he said “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” with those of George Bush who only a few weeks ago urged his fellow Republicans not to “lose their nerve” as they attempted to further institutionalize an agenda not shared by a significant majority of Americans.
In a review of a new biography of Lincoln by Richard Carwardine, Lincoln A life of Purpose and Power, Kevin Baker asserted "most Americans would probably not be surprised to learn that once upon a time such a model president [such as those portrayed on contemporary television] actually walked the hustings...." He is sadly mistaken. Most Americans remain completely ignorant of Lincoln's complex character. To understand the ideals of Lincoln, the leader and man, we need more than the fine works that continue to issue forth from Carwardine, Doris Kearns and others that, sadly, are read by a very small portion of the populace; we need the press --periodicals, newspapers and especially television-- and the schools to play a more active role in keeping alive his legacy. All of them can start by acknowledging the anniversary of his life and the details of it.
posted by Tom Goodman at 2:35 PM
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