Abraham Lincoln: The strategic path to emancipation and preservation
Abstract
Despite being one of the most well-known American presidents, of whom countless works of scholarship have been constructed, Abraham Lincoln has often been misrepresented as hesitant and tentative in his approach to abolishing slavery. Instead, his dedication to preserving the nation has been cited as his most vital imperative. This paper will argue that this is not the case. While Abraham Lincoln was dedicated to the preservation of the Union, the idea of equality for all was equally important to him, and his ultimate goal was always to dismantle the practice of slavery. Nevertheless, his dedication to the Constitution and adherence to lawfulness kept his personal desires in check, thereby restraining him to accept that a moderate pace toward abolition was the only way to achieve his goal. Utilizing Lincoln's letters and speeches, along with the writings of a number of his colleagues, this paper will show that Lincoln possessed the political cunning to understand that each step toward abolition required precise timing for its execution and that appearing too radical would only hinder the case. To this end, he skillfully used his aptitude for linguistics to his advantage, catering his words to his audience. In addition, he understood how to manipulate the media to his advantage as well. Masterfully, he played the political long game in order to achieve his objective, the abolition of slavery, while simultaneously, executing his duty as Commander in Chief, managing to navigate and win America's bloodiest and most defining war. In the end, although it required Lincoln's most noble sacrifice, he managed to hold together a fragmenting nation while simultaneously achieving his primary goal of ensuring the freedom of four million enslaved African Americans.