Character Profile Template
| Introductory Information | |
| Character’s Name | Abraham Lincoln |
| Birth–Death Years | 1809-1865 |
| Picture of Character: | |
| Most Noted For | The 16th President of the United States led the country during the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. |
| Character Profile Report | |
| Biographical Information: | Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky, in a sparsely built log cabin. He had no lucrative roots as he was born and raised in a poor family background with the least educational practices. Despite this, he was a reader, and using his access to the books that were brought home by his gran, he taught himself several things. Before he became an Illinois lawyer, Lincoln engaged in manual labor as a rail-splitter, a boatman, a store clerk, a surveyor, and a postmaster.[1] Legal practice and debating ability were crucial inputs in his political career.
‘s political career Lincoln started at the age of 23 when he won a seat in the state legislature in Illinois to serve a four-year term, a position he occupied several times. He served as a representative for the U.S. House of Representatives from 1846. The decision to leave politics behind due to fear of assassination did not prevent him from returning to the political scene because of his uncompromised stand on the issue of the spread of slavery, and he ended up being elected as the President in 1860. His leadership of the country was characterized by the Civil War, whereby he worked hard to preserve the Union and condemn slavery, as evidenced by the Emancipation Proclamation issued in 1863. |
| Historical/Political Context: | Lincoln presided over a country that was sharply divided up and was in the middle of literary civil strife over states’ rights, slavery, and economic dissimilarities between what was termed the North and the South. The time just before the war was marked by escalating conflict between the South, which primarily comprised of states that allowed the practice of slavery, and the North, which was comprised of states that did not allow slavery. In Lincoln’s election year, this escalated to the extent that some southern states decided to secede from the Union, which resulted in the Civil War in 1861.[2] The war thus averted was not a conflict of places but one that tried to address the core of the country’s morality and economy. |
| Beliefs on the Important Issues of the Day:
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Lincoln was a firm believer in the initial tenet of liberty as espoused in the Declaration of Independence. He was able to define it as a sin in morality, social status, and politics that was against the principles on which the country was established. To begin with, Lincoln, while seeking to remain loyal to the Constitution, tried to avoid antagonizing the southern states and agreed that the principles of the declaration did not include immediate Freedom for All; however, he realized that slavery was wrong and that it would be detrimental to the future of America if it continued. His campaign speeches, like the Gettysburg Address, were filled with addresses calling for a united country and reminding the nation that liberty and equality are moral viruses that require no spread. |
| Impact on the United States:
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During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln led the United States through the most crucial time in its history in order to save the Union, free the slaves through the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the amending of the Constitution in the passage of the 13th Amendment. His vision and the policies later adopted meant that he was central in shaping the modern United States by fostering nationalism and a commitment to the values of democracy.[3] After the Civil War and the defeat of slavery, the Reconstruction era was also intended to re-acculturate the newly emancipated population despite the many problems encountered. |
| Others’ Criticisms: | Lincoln, however, suffered a lot of criticism from different perspectives in his lifetime. In the South, Gettys was seen as a beast of burden who sought to undermine the Southern quality of life and economy. However, Radical Republicans frequently accused him of seeming to be too conservative or even being slow in emancipation and civil rights issues. Despite the successful presidency, the historical decisions made by Lincoln during the war have been critiqued, including the abridgment of habeas corpus, which is seen as an encroachment upon the authority of the President. |
| Your Critique: | Holding great interest and enthusiasm, Abraham Lincoln is one of the most significant figures in the history of America because of his endeavors towards maintaining the Union and abolishment slavery. It is hard to disagree with the statement that he is an outstanding leader who is capable of making great moral choices under pressure when the country is divided. Nevertheless, there are some discordant notes: objectives that he pursued and measures that he took during the war, such as the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act. Nevertheless, his general leadership experience as a person who demanded equality and uniting the nation still had a powerful impact on people. |
| Reference List | |
| References |
Guelzo, Allen Carl. “Lincoln and His Biographers.” Civil War History 64, no. 3 (2018): 239-271. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/14/article/705301/pdf McPherson, James M. Battle cry of freedom: The Civil War era. Oxford University Press, 2003. https://inside.sfuhs.org/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter6/mcpherson.pdf Farrington, J., Powell, N.W., Graham, G., Day, L. and Anyanwu, O.E., 2019. Slavery to Liberation: The African American Experience. Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University. https://encompass.eku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=ekuopen
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[1] Farrington, J., Powell, N.W., Graham, G., Day, L. and Anyanwu, O.E., 2019. Slavery to Liberation: The African American Experience. Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University.
https://encompass.eku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=ekuopen
[2] McPherson, James M. Battle cry of freedom: The Civil War era. Oxford University Press, 2003.
https://inside.sfuhs.org/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter6/mcpherson.pdf
[3] Guelzo, Allen Carl. “Lincoln and His Biographers.” Civil War History 64, no. 3 (2018): 239-271. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/14/article/705301/pdf