Man, President, Prophet, Martyr
I heard the legend, learned the history well enough - or so I thought. But it seems I had no real comprehension of the magnitude of exceptionalism that was embodied in the man Lincoln. I make no claim of having more so now, except that I am moved with greater earnestness having just finished an amazing book, and completed a phase of study that has triggered a great amount of reflection.
A few years ago, work assignments brought me near D.C. as they often do. Though I rarely have time to be a tourist when working, on this occasion I was accompanied by some colleagues and we decided to spend the evening at the National Mall. In the past I would take only enough time for a jog along the Potomac or around the Tidal Basin. This was the first time I had taken the time to stop and read the many placards, take in the monuments and think about the importance of the people and events they represent. It was a cool and clear night, as I walked up the steps of the Lincoln memorial.
Along with most patriots I have always held two presidents in the highest regard - Washington and Lincoln. The two best that have ever been and likely will ever be. Washington because he was the first, but also because his wisdom and foresight laid the foundation of the peaceful transition of power that had existed for so long…
But in Lincoln, it was the great emancipation that always elevated his status in my mind. Not much else was known to me beyond the standard history lessons from elementary school. On that evening I read the words inscribed on the walls of that great white marble edifice. Words I had read before, but their significance and meaning had never had such a profound impact on my thoughts and emotions. Yes, perhaps even a tear was shed. On the north wall I read, from his second inaugural address, speaking on the divided Union and Confederacy, in the third paragraph,
“Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.”
This was a man of faith, I thought to myself. And a man whose linguistic mastery surpassed even the most practiced of the golden age of English prose. It was his invocation of God and expression of faith that stayed with me as I walked to the south wall. Where I read his Gettysburg Address.
“Four score 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 can not dedicate ~ we can not consecrate ~ we can not 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 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.”
I can imagine Lincoln in his black suit, having removed his top hat, standing tall upon the wood platform, pausing after the phrase, “But, in a larger sense…” then raising an arm high, pointing to heaven, and with great inflection continuing, “we can not dedicate…”
Rarely is so much ever said with so few words. This is where I became emotional. This was not just a man, but a prophet. Clearly it must be that the Spirit of God rested upon him to guide his mind and actions leading to the just outcome of the greatest conflict that has ever existed, and may it ever be, in the life of our nation.
Though the majority of the circumstances surrounding his presidency, and life, were unknown to me at the time, the idea of regarding Lincoln even higher than office of the President of the United States of America, stuck with me.
Several years after that evening I spent in D.C. we now find ourselves grasping at the threads of normalcy. Watching and listening in shock at the comportment of our chief executive, and that of a few radicals both in government and out. Last month, with these thoughts in mind, I selected my next audiobook. Audiobooks have become a staple in my personal development. It was a couple years ago that I got into listening to books, instead of music, whenever time and activities would allow. Since then, I have probably listened to more books than I have ever read, ever. I try to get through one book a month, and have found that books of about 8 hours are usually the right length to meet this goal. So, when I see a recommendation in my feed, that is longer than 8-10 hours I will usually pass. This time a book stood out - Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Published in 2011. Length, 41 hours and 32 minutes. Without hesitation it was downloaded. Available on Audible.
The task of offering a review of this work, or an explanation of its contents feels insurmountable. The incredible work that has gone into developing such a comprehensive biography spans generations. The existence of journals and letters that establish its history are countless. To think that so many people, kept such detailed journals at that time, and wrote letters!?! To state simply and inadequately, this work should be required reading, or listening, of every citizen. Not only to learn of our history, but to gain perspective. Perspective that allows us to place the conflicts of our day in proper magnitude with those of the past. Perspective to look beyond our own problems with hope. And more than perspective, but an example to follow. We could learn of individuals who faced such difficult conflicts, and how they responded, acted, retaliated, seceded, or triumphed.
It is the humble, magnanimous, and yet captivating nature of Lincoln that endeared him to so many. He was tall and sometimes ungainly in appearance, but with his quips and frequent story telling he would draw in a crowd in any circumstance and engage their entire attention. Along with many at the time, he was well versed in scripture, though it is supposed that there was little devotion to faith in his early years. This, along with his position on human equality and racial unification, would develop over time, culminating at the signing of his emancipation proclamation, when he paused to declare with a shaking hand,
“I never, in my life, felt more certain that what I was doing was right, than I do in signing this paper.”
Most intriguing to me, was his ability to maintain relationships across his cabinet, the government, and the war, which were all comprised of so many rivals that it is a true miracle that any one institution ever survived the 19th century. And that his influence was not exerted with dominating force, or fear as so many other countries are maintained through conflict, it was exerted through humility, compassion, compromise, and listening. Though, when his decision was made, he would emphatically declare it without equivocation and demand the respect of his cabinet in its execution. Lincoln was fiercely ambitious, though esteemed his competitors as equals, not building himself upon their weaknesses. This is where I find, and believe, that the influence of the Holy Spirit was active in his life, to bring our nation which was established under God, out of such a trial. There were presidential candidates who would have declared emancipation on the day of inauguration, those who would have resigned to a two-nation continent, those who would have given in to every demand of the rebels to prevent any conflict. And each with good reason enough for their cause. But only one who was able to weave the threads of all these ambitions together, over many years of conflict, into a “new birth of freedom” which he would only see, and feel, for a day before his martyrdom. Many of Lincoln’s associates and one time rivals would even confess their belief that God had placed him in the presidency for the very purpose he fulfilled.
The Holy Spirit most often guides our minds in subtle ways, “through small and simple means” and such were the small and simple actions that guided Lincoln through his tenure. As the title of the book suggests, Lincoln did not surround himself with like-minded individuals who would reinforce predetermined ideals. His colleagues would challenge him on many fronts, causing an evolution of thought. There are no records of Lincoln having engaged in vitriol, criticism or slander. He achieved his long-sought ambitions through grace and virtue. Though we see much absence of graciousness and virtue in politics, I also see that, in large part, politics as we know it today is not all that different than it ever has been. Neither are news and calumny, through it now travels much faster than ever.
As I walked out of the Lincoln memorial and stood for a moment, on that night, where so many famous speeches have been given, I felt grateful for my capacity to feel such emotion, to have been able to recognize, in my own insignificant way, the importance of those people God has sent to ensure his purposes are fulfilled.
