Abraham Lincoln

Reputation of Abraham Lincoln

Introduction

Famous people such as politicians for example have their reputations in the public society locally or internationally. Reputation is a process that needs construction and of many aspects and procedures as it is a complicated process which leaves its effects on the person it belongs to and on others related to or interested in or hearing about that person. In this assignment the reputation of a famous politician who has his position into history of the United States and in the world is going to be discussed according to some specific points of his life. The reputation of Abraham Lincoln is going to be presented regarding some historical interpretations and views in order to clarify the reality and myth sides of Lincoln reputation.

Body

Abraham Lincoln(1809-1865) was the president of the United States number sixteen(1861-1865) and he added a lot to America by his achievements in civil war, economy and government progress. Lincoln got a great fame with a reputation that carried many aspects of discussion. He is considered the slaves liberator and a man of social and racial equality and justice yet there are many views says that he also refused the races acceptance in society of America and was convinced that there must be a kind of sending the black away out of USA which was a remarkable thing of those points constructed his reputation.( Franklin, 1964) He was known as the president who achieved the Union of American states which was his main target and slavery is said not to be his concern, he was said to do any thing for the sake of the union even if he kept the slaves as slavery was not his main interest. Some critics say that he used the issue of setting slaves free as a kind of propaganda and there were not any one of the laves was really free as a result of Lincoln efforts. His childhood and the life circumstances he lived in also affected the way his reputation was formed as he lived a simple poor life, educated himself and worked in an early age till he became a lawyer then the president of the United States of America. He also was famous for his effective impressive speeches t address the people and make them feel him as a common person. The way he died constructed another part of his reputation as he was assassinated in 14th of April 1865 in a theater called Ford's theatre. (  Owens, 2004)

Lincoln's reputation was constructed affected by some historical interpretations for his own attitudes, actions, reactions and decisions. These interpretations may be true or based upon rumors and personal opinions. Some historians describe Lincoln as the Great Emancipator which is a matter that was historically interpreted into many explanations of which some were evidence-based. (Bennett, 1968) Lincoln reputation as the slave liberator was not true as Lincoln was said to be a man of politics who was not keen on helping those miserable slaves but his real target was to limit their existence or eliminate it, black people did not represent any of his real concerns with no regard to the black wishes or desires for freedom and equality. Bennett made many attacks on Lincoln as he tried to interpret his concerns as shows for his own welfare and to ban freedom, rights and equality from being delivered to the black. Other historians had different interpretations for Lincoln attitudes and actions, Herbert Mitgang, defended Lincoln against Bennett by saying that Lincoln was the most person to defend the black's rights and saved America from the harms of the civil wars. Mark Krung also defended Lincoln by saying that Lincoln prevented the violent acts' occurrence as they were resulting from racial problems which is an interpretation that needs to be well considered. Another issue that puzzled historian regarding Lincoln was using colonization to solve black slave existence problem. (Zilversmit, 1980)

It is good to consider the appropriate using of historical evidence when constructing the reputation of a specific political figure, for example, Abraham Lincoln was accused of taking the white side against the black, his debates with Stephen A. Douglas show the attitudes of Lincoln clearly as it is said that Lincoln was at the side of white supremacy ideas and he was against negroes' rights but was pretending to be a slave liberator. George M. Fredrickson thinks that Lincoln speeches told that while He was talking as if defending the rights of the black, he said to Douglas that he could not consider the negro as a parallel part or equal persons to him giving an evidence which is Lincoln words that he used words that expressed his deep convince of not considering the black as equal part of the society. Historian E. B. Smith also commented on Ottawa speech words that expressed a playing tone in Lincoln speech as he meant that Lincoln was acting on audience for his own political benefits. Another opinion of the historian Don E. Fehrenbacher stated that Lincoln words expressed a maximum desire of neglecting the black's rights and a minimum desire of defending their rights which means Lincoln was varying between the extreme hatred for negroes and the extreme respect to them. The Lincoln biographer Stephen B. Oates, had a remarkable opinion that Lincoln was really pretending to defend the black as a deep sense of protecting the country from civil war harms and to ensure its unity. (Zilversmit, 1980)

Lincoln's reputation accommodated lots of Myths during his life and after his death. Those Myths could be simple opinions from students, historian statements or some views of people who are exaggerating some facts or preventing a real action from being revealed to the public. Edward Steers discussed some of the myths regarding Lincoln as his relation with his parents, it was said that Lincoln was an illegitimate son of Nancy Hanks and she had a relation with Abraham Enole who was supposed to be his father but Lincoln cousin proved that Thomas Lincoln was his real father and illegitimacy was just rumors of people who tried to insult Lincoln. The relationship between Abraham and Ann Rutledge also took the myth style at people's thoughts as there were documents regarding this relationship that was said to be true sometimes and forged other times. There was a myth regarding Lincoln Christianity as his wife said that he was not that Christian people thought and historian opinions were not able to prove his being baptized. Evidences regarding the words attributed to Lincoln are not clear as there were many letters written by John Hay and he signed them with Lincoln name. A very serious myth about Lincoln is that he was a homosexual and it was not proved to be true as a book written by C. A. Tripp mentioned this but the fact says that Tripp was a gay which made many historians and people think he was trying to give himself some respect by saying that also Lincoln was a gay like him.(Marty, 2009)

Yet there are differences between myths and historical views regarding Lincoln reputation and they have to be well distinguished. Lincoln was a part of the American history and was seen by many historian as really concerned with the black slavery problem which could have many reasons but the myth is when he is seen as a great hero of independence and freedom of the black as this seems an exaggeration because historians had many diversity in reviewing his slavery attitude. It was him who wanted the black to get out of the country and who made them work as labor force in Europe. The assassination of Lincoln had many historical arguments and it turned to be a myth at some points. There are many stories regarding his death which contained lots of myths. John Wilkes Booth was an actor who hated Lincoln due to feeling sympathy with the south killed him in the Ford theatre and the death incidents were clear and distinguished from myths. Yet a myth appeared, it included opinions said that Lincoln murder was a terrorist act performed by the South but this was not confirmed by the historians. Another myth was that the murder was made for the sake of president Johnson. A fact stated by historians was that Booth was killed but there was a myth that it was not him and he was still alive to continue his struggle for the south. In fact these views of historians and myths must be well distinguished by a well educated reader who traces evidence to know the truth. (Turner, 1982)

Conclusion                         

Reputations of political figures always arouses many inquiries even after their death which was clear in the biography of Abraham Lincoln as there were many different historical views regarding his real attitudes towards slavery and negroes, historian discussed many things of which some are mentioned in this assignment as he was also accused of many things that needed investigation to differentiate between myths about him and the real truth.  

       ReferencesJohn H. Franklin, From Slavery to Freedom (New York: 1964 [2nd .]), p. 277.

• Owens, 2004, Mackubin , T, Abraham Lincoln Saved the Union, But Did He Really Free the Slaves? http://ashbrook.org/publications/oped-owens-04-guelzo/

• Bennett, "Was Abe Lincoln a White Supremacist?" Ebony, Feb., 1968, pp. 35–42

• Zilversmit, 1980, Arthur, Lincoln and the Problem of Race: A Decade of Interpretations. Volume 2, Issue 1, 1980, pp. 22-45

• Marty, 2009, Myron, Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes, and Confabulations Associated with Our Greatest President, by Edward Steers Jr.

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629860.0030.109/--lincoln-          legends-myths-hoaxes-and-confabulations-associated?rgn=main;view=fulltext

• Turner, 1982, Thomas, Myth and the Lincoln Assassination: Did John Wilkes