The True Abraham Lincoln

In an article for Time Magazine, Joshua Shenk discussed the perplexing and fluctuating history of a man that has gained considerable historical reference within the United States. It goes into detail trying to derail the public from common misconceptions and myths, into the deep methodical truth of a man whom is no better understood today than in his lifetime. Like a Greek tragedy hero, the man who represented so much and took that final fall, lives in the hearts and memories of every American, and on this 4th of July, men such as Lincoln take higher reverence than perhaps any other day (including his own birthday).

While America’s sixteenth President enjoys a plethora of fame and congratulatory remembrance, the true Lincoln perhaps is still hiding in the mists of America’s own wretched past. The side to Lincoln which one doesn’t hear about in high school American history, is a side in which many either choose to ignore or are completely ignorant thereof. Was Lincoln the emancipator? The liberator? The peacemaker? Shenk dives into the depths of American history and reviewing a number of sources which all claim to hit the nail right on the head when it comes down to the ‘real’ Abraham Lincoln.

Perhaps the greatest threat to Lincoln’s real persona is the iconography which his legacy has been subjected to. The cult of personality which has been built around Lincoln has deeply purged historical attempts to create factual recreations of actual events and the man himself. This can be seen in the actions of Republican editor Josiah Holland denied his readers some interesting truths about Lincoln’s stance on religion. When discussing Lincoln with his former law Partner, William Herndon, Holland was surprised to hear that Lincoln was in doubt of the divinity of Christ, and believed the Bible to be far from infallible. This was not the portrait of a man whom the Republican party wanted to be their next ‘sun king,’ and this trait would be deleted from the pages of history and replaced with Lincoln representing the model Christian (Shenk 38).

Other attempts at distorting historical accuracy have been undertaken innumerous times throughout the ages. Perhaps Republican Senator Alexander McClure said it best, “Those who have spoken most confidently of their knowledge of his personal qualities are, as a rule, those who saw least of them below the surface.” This can be seen at the scorn by those whom hold the idealistic vision of Lincoln towards those whom search for the truth; a truth that may not be all that pleasant.

William Herndon, Lincoln’s one-time law partner, went on a mission of investigating a number of personal stories and references to understand and bring to conclusion the real man behind the stovepipe hat. Herndon questioned a number of persons who had known Lincoln at the must personal levels. He uncovered information that many found insulting and derogatory, particularly to his legacy as a strong American president. Information such as his mother being born out of wedlock, or Lincoln’s own bouts with severe, debilitating depression. Herndon’s works were not taken kindly however, and he was discarded as publishing nothing more than gossip and rubbish. But Herndon represented the darker side to Lincoln which most were unwilling to dignify. They appreciated the cleaner, Puritan approach offered through historical revisionism, to say the least (Shenk 38).

Perhaps one of the biggest misleading ‘truths’-if you can even call it that, is the myth of Lincoln portraying the liberator and friend of the African-Americans whom were ripped from their homeland and brought unjustly here to the United States. Dr. Martin Luther King, JR. made his memorable “I Have a DreamâÂ?¦” speech on the steps of the Lincoln memorial, unbeknownst to Lincoln’s past as a racist bigot. White historical revisionism portrays Lincoln as the apologist for centuries of white oppression towards the black people. Some unique quotes from Lincoln dwell into the realms of his perceptions of race and social justice. Shenk’s article goes on to say:

The myth of Lincoln as the black man’s best friend was hard to square with his own words, from the Lincoln-Douglas debates, that he had “no purpose to introduce political and social equality between the white and the black races” and that “there is a physical difference between the two, which in my judgment, will probably forever forbid their living upon the footing of perfect equality” (Shenk 39).

Does this consciously represent the statements of a man whom is supposed to represent compassion and liberation, above all obliteration of oppression? The content of these statements is impossible to misjudge or read out of context, it’s clear as can be; the man was a racialist and saw Blacks as a political tool at weakening the South.

These kinds of truths are hard to accept at first, when one knows nothing but the folkloric legacy of a man who has been hailed as one of America’s finest leaders. And while the man can be accredited with some worthwhile achievements, the blindness of his true personality demands attention made of the negative aspects at which those whom hold him in the highest esteem will find nonetheless humiliating to say the least.

Shenk divulges into the personal life of Abraham Lincoln which has been ignored for the greater part of the last century. When one looks into the personal recollections of those who knew him best, one sees the image of a man suffering from his own personal demons, driven by the ambition of a political savvy unseen in most individuals. When this side of such an icon is ignored, his true legacy and adoration are threatened by the apparent iconography which makes history a bit absurd. In his article, Shenk discusses the importance and relevance of historical factuality, as opposed to mythology. “In order to appreciate Lincoln’s significance for our time, we have to humble ourselves to an understanding of his time and how he lived” (Shenk 39).

The article develops some significant points at which our own blindness towards history is prevalent in almost all cases, not just Lincoln. We as people have a responsibility to preserve actual facts from the pages of history, not just what we find personally redeeming and acceptable. Lincoln was a much more complex and deep individual outside of what the average high-school textbook reveals about him. He was a troubled man whom suffered from depression; the widening gap between his spirituality and the Enlightened mentality of the time; and amongst other things, the tumultuous spread of war and secession amongst his nation. The paradox that is Lincoln can only be fully appreciated (or despised) once his true nature has been revealed. We have to step beyond the protective borders that of which blind the public from the truth, and provide us with the essential ignorance which we all have come to enjoy.