Abraham Lincoln — An example of leadership

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 ——two hundred fourteen years ago in the same month; so it is an appropriate time to remember him. More so, as our beloved country is suffering from a crisis of leadership, the study of his personality, particularly his ability to take tough decisions in difficult situations can serve as a beacon of light. Undeniably, he was not only one of the greatest Presidents of the U.S.A. (1861-65), the 16th in sequence: he was conspicuous as well in the unabridged list of exceptional leaders who appeared on the horizon of history in various challenging times. The state of affairs wherein he was caught up was extremely complex however the courage and conviction with which he handled it was unparalleled in the modern political chronicle. Needless to say that courage and conviction complement each other and are essential prerequisites of quality leadership.

Abraham was not a scion of some privileged family who rose to the height of power and prominence on this basis as it is in the case of numerous figures. He was a product of poverty and resourcelessness who emerged due to a lethal amalgam of ambition and hard work. His poor and illiterate parents had to leave their ancestral place i.e. Kentucky due to unfavourable circumstances in Indiana and from there to Illinois. Due to monitory deficiency, they were not in a position to arrange for his formal education therefore Abraham had to pursue the technique of self-education. Reading material was not easily available in that backward locality so he had to trudge for miles to borrow a book. He was not in favour of reading a large number of books but thoroughly absorbing the few. Parallel to it, he also worked as a boatman, store-keeper, post-master, and surveyor to support his family. As time passed, he decided to become a lawyer and after passing the bar in 1836 he started the practice. During the process, he developed a liking for a fellow lawyer named Marry Todd whom he eventually married in 1842. He gradually made his name in sits of railroads, banks, insurance companies, mercantile companies and manufacturing units. According to the encyclopedia Britannica, ‘he was noted not only for his shrewdness and practical common- sense, but also for his fairness and honesty’. Meanwhile, aspiring to be a legislator, he was defeated in his first try, however, latter he was repeatedly re-elected to the state-assembly. The well-known researcher Doris Kearns Goodwin has highlighted that since his early life he was unusually ambitious and his law-firm partner used to remember ‘his ambition’ as ‘a little engine that knew no rest’.

The issue of slavery dominated Abraham’s tenure as a Member of the Congress (1847-49). Initially, though he was opposed to slavery, he was not an ‘abolitionist’. He had the conviction that slavery was ‘founded on both injustice and bad policy’, but he had doubts as well that ‘the promulgation of abolition doctrines tend rather to increase than to abate its evils’. Lately, he started vehemently denouncing slavery with all its extensions and called the institution a violation of the most basic tenets of the Declaration of Independence. He used to quote from Gospels to firm-up his ideas that ‘this government cannot endure permanently: half slave and half free’. During the debates in Congress and his unsuccessful campaign for Senate in 1858, Abraham demonstrated political oratory of the highest order. He was ‘eloquent, pithy, powerful, and free of the verbosity so common in communication of his day’. Mostly, the key-note of his deliveries was the protection of civil liberties of every U.S. citizen: white or black. Abraham Lincoln was nominated as a presidential candidate for the 1860 election which he won with a clear and decisive majority due to his ‘skillful preparations’.

Abraham’s tenure as President (1861-65) was the most turbulent period of the American history, nonetheless with his astonishing will power, sound judgment and valorous decision-making he was able to turn the tide. His legacy was based upon three apocalyptic accomplishments: he very successfully waged a political struggle/civil war that preserved the Union; he abolished the deeply-penetrated menace of slavery freeing some 3,500, 000 slaves; and initiated the process eventually leading to civil-cum-social freedom of African-Americans. His personality and conduct had transformed him almost as a ‘saintly figure’ during his life-time. During the Civil War, the military-men used to call him ‘Father Abraham’ and when he issued the ‘Emancipation Proclamation’ in 1863, he was honored with title of ‘the Great Emancipator’.

Generally, the politicians tend to avoid controversial decisions fearing a negative fall-out but Abraham never hesitated to order whatever he considered to be correct. Three examples are distinct in this connection; (i) He included his arch-rivals in his cabinet provided they were capable, to benefit from their talent, brushing aside all the opposition of his comrades; (ii) During the Civil War, he suspended some civil liberties including the right of habeas corpus; an action which was much-needed due to gravity of the situation, and (iii) He dismissed General McClellan when he failed to trail the opponent General Robert E. Lee adequately. Actually, his courage and credence emanated from intellectual honesty supported by meticulous assessment of the scenario. His renowned biographer Ronald C. White has rightly pointed-out that his ‘moral integrity is the strong trunk from which all the branches of his life grew’. Like a genuine leader, he used ‘to make things happen instead of waiting for them to happen’. He was also never afraid of ‘experimentation’ leaving aside the ‘beaten track’.

During his presidency, another feature of his personality manifested itself. He astonished friends and foes with his military capabilities: adopting effective strategies and selecting the ablest commanders. A number of political analysts stress that Abraham proved himself the first genuine Commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces; defining and shaping that position into what it is today.

Tragically, Abraham Lincoln was shot dead at Ford’s Theatre, Washington by John Wilkes Booth, an actor, on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, when the Civil War was about to culminate. His assassin thought that ‘he was helping the South whereas the opposite was the result as with Lincoln’s assassination, the chance of peace with magnanimity ended’. This tragedy demolished the grand ideas of Abraham for the reconstruction of the U.S. focusing on commerce and cities rather than agriculture. For the post-war period he had planned——the creation of a central bank, protective tariffs, governmental support for internal improvements, and an expanded system of public education.

Abraham Lincoln believed that it was the duty of a leader to give ‘direction, purpose, and a lasting inspiration’ to his nation. He always stressed to acknowledge the ‘policy failures’ and carve-out new ways and means to attain the objectives. Though never shy of ‘action’ he ‘exhausted all possibility of compromise before imposing unilateral executive power’. He knew clearly that ‘words have consequences’ so always selected his language with care and caution. Unlike other leaders who preferred to keep ‘like-minded men’ around ‘who would not question his authority; Lincoln created a team of independent, strong-minded men, all of whom were more experienced in public life, better educated, and more celebrated than him’ . He justified his policy in a simple manner that ‘the country was in peril. These were the strongest and most able men in the country. He needed them by his side’. Later with the assistance of this ‘talented team’ he steered the country out of that ‘great mess’. He guided his juniors to ‘assume full responsibility for a pivotal decision; refuse to let past resentments fester —transcend personal vendetta; set a standard of mutual respect and dignity; know when to hold back and when to move forward’ and last but not the least ‘put  collective interest  above the self-interest’. The Pakistan’s political leadership can benefit a lot from the personality and principles of Abraham Lincoln on his 2014th birthday on 12 February, 2023.  Our times are not less difficult than his.