Do you think Abraham Lincoln was a good president?

Do you think Abraham Lincoln was a good president? Do you think he was a good person?|||By what standard should he be measured?





At a time when the abhorrent subject of slavery came to a head, he had the misfortune of choosing a direction in which to lead the republic. While slavery was the wedge issue, what Lincoln was acting on was whether a state, after voluntarily joining the union, had a right to voluntarily leave the union (or be expelled by the other states for that matter). Nothing in the Constitution made membership in the union permanent or implicitly (or explicitly) ended a state's right to change its government as it deemed necessary. Such an idea was devised later and reinforced in the Pledge of Allegiance to deter any future secessionist movements that may arise.





The choice Lincoln made was to declare the secession of the Confederate states illegal, invade them, and force them to end their rebellion. The Confederacy asserted that all states retained their sovereignty when they joined the union and all states could leave the voluntarily joined union at any time they deemed in their best interests. The War of 1812 had brought about the nation's first experience with threats of secession, the Civil War (from the Union's perspective) was fought to settle the issue permanently.





Lincoln sought to forcibly maintain the Union and reinforce the principles of self-government outlined in the Declaration of Independence and reinforced in the Constitution. He invoked the "spirit" of the Constitution rather than the Constitution itself. Slavery, by definition and practice, had always stood as the great inconsistency of the republic. Lincoln had always stood against its expansion and the abomination known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act rekindled his passion for ending the spread of the practice.





Did Lincoln have the Constitutional authority to invade states asserting their right to change their government? No.


Therefore, did Lincoln faithfully execute his duty to protect and defend the Constitution? No, and a succession of Presidents in the 20th and 21st centuries have proven how much of a problem Lincoln created by setting that precedent.





By these standards, Lincoln was possibly the worst president to hold the office.





Is slavery the "black eye" on the history of the US? Yes.


Is slavery wholly inconsistent with the principles of the founding? Yes.


Was freeing the slaves in the Confederacy a great act? Yes. Regardless of whether or not Lincoln had any authority over the Confederacy, his the Emancipation Proclamation provided the first step towards making things right.





Unfortunately, none of the last 3 issues have anything to do with the powers enumerated for the Office of the President.





Was Lincoln a good person? Absolutely. He may have been the greatest man to hold the office. He believed in the right of individuals to govern themselves and followed the path he thought was necessary to achieve that end. While his actions were not consistent with the powers vested in him by his office and he set precedents for future office holders that have had devastating ramifications on our economic and social development, he aimed to remain consistent with his just principles. For that, he had more character, dignity, and integrity than most who have ever run for, let alone held, the office.|||He embodied leadership, the very thing presidency is all about. He was wise, and made wise choices. The thing that always got me about him is that he made choices based upon what was good for the country, not his own personal beliefs. If he didn't necessarily believe in something but thought it'd be good for the country, he'd go for it.|||I think he was the best for the time. A hardened man, raised on hard times and Intelligent. A man of the genital, would have failed us in the bloodiest war in history. He had great personal honesty, But some could argue his ethics honesty as the Kentucky defense proves. And he argued in favor of slavery. But if he took your money as a lawyer. He gave you the best defense he could. So a honest lawyer. He rose to the greatest Challenge our nation has ever faced. He over came that Challenge. So weather I think good or bad of him. He is a man who earned our country's respect. And that is a accomplishment few men do Merritt. The kentucky defense. He was representing a man accused of murder. After studying the case. He ask his Client. You have family in Kentucky. Yes he said. Then the best defense I can give you is to head that way now.|||Yes, but liberals can only comprehend an Obama type of phoney (or a Slick Bill Clinton type) as a good President. They have no tolerance for genuine, decent men like Lincoln, Washington or Reagan.|||Yes, he freed the slaves and killed all the southern racists. If it wasn't for honest Abe we would all be slave owning racists.