Abraham Lincoln Essay -- essays research papers

capital of Nebraska     No president of the United States ever fancied office under more difficult conditions than Abraham Lincoln. By the time of his inception day, a large portion of the South had already seceded as concisely as they heard of his election. Nor did he have the support and confidence of a large portion of the North either.To most Americans, Lincoln was a congress unknown and his homespun image and penchant for humor often guide both his opponents and his staff to underestimate him. General McClellan dismissed his commander-in-chief as a buffoon while the abolitionist Wendall Phillips described Lincoln as a first-rate, second-rate man who was always waiting like any some other servant for the people to come and send him on any errand they wish.      such(prenominal) estimations show that Lincolns true intelligence and political sharpness were widely misunderstood, perhaps owing to the fact that he was a conglomerate and very private man, not readily given to sharing his cozy thoughts with even his closest advisors. He also appeared on the surface to be a man of great contradictions. He was anti-slavery and stock-still he hesitated to dethaw the slaves. He was a staunch believer in the Constitution and yet he suspended the writ of habeas corpus.     The answer to these seeming contradictions lies in Lincolns character. He was both a man of high ideals and a pragmatist. His paramount goal was the preservation of the Union. W...