Lincoln's Legacy 150 years Later

The Impact of Abraham Lincoln on the United States Today

Sep 30, 2009

It has been almost 150 years since the death of the 16th President, but Abraham Lincoln continues to shape the United States of America's politics, psyche, and character.

Amidst all the focus on the present and dreams of the future during the inauguration of President Barack Obama, there was a carefully chosen link to the past. Through the election President Obama and his supporters promised change and a bright tomorrow, yet looking carefully one would notice that while he was sworn in, the hand of the 44th President of the United States of America was firmly placed upon the bible present at the swearing in of the 16th.

Abraham Lincoln is still very present in the lives of Americans in the year 2009. From his appearance on the penny and the five-dollar bill to his face upon Mount Rushmore and his Memorial in Washington, D.C, remembrances of him are everywhere. However Lincoln’s legacy is far greater than just the visages of him that are seen everyday; he has shaped American society to a degree perhaps unmatched by all other Presidents, even those like Washington, Adams, and Jefferson who helped to shape the country at its founding.

The Great Emancipator

Abraham Lincoln is today revered as a practical American saint. His deeds are still felt and remembered, from his freeing of the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation (the act needed the 13th Amendment to finalize it as law) to his decree to make Thanksgiving a national holiday observed in November. Yet he has possibly had his biggest impact on the American character.

Prior to the end of the Civil War it was still fairly common to consider the United States as a collection of almost sovereign states rather than as a complete nation, yet afterward things had changed so that where before it had been common to use the word “are,” when writing about the USA, it became proper to use “is,” instead; one would say, "The United States is..." The change signified that the growth of a singular national consciousness, something that had not truly existed before Abraham Lincoln.

The Power of the Presidency

Lincoln was by no means beloved by all during his time at the helm, and he courted strong dissent when he suspended the Writ of Habeas corpus in the prosecution of those suspected of aiding the Confederates. While the move was extremely controversial even at the time, Lincoln felt it was needed because the United States was dealing with an enemy that was in many cases within; the Confederacy had an extensive network of spies and informants throughout the North.

In his use of the great powers given to the Executive by the Constitution, and the assumption of those not given but not expressly denied, Lincoln foreshadowed the incredible growth in power of the Presidency during the next century and into the present day.

The Better Angels of our Nature

The biggest impact that Abraham Lincoln has had on the United States of America into the present day might be on the way the country sees itself. He laid out a vision of Americans as a flawed but decent people that is still embraced by current generations. In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln called on all his countrymen (and women) to “bind up the nation’s wounds,” and to move forward from its most horrific episode (still to this day) in its history.

Many Presidents have called on the citizens of the United States for different reasons, but none have so eloquently called for Americans simply to be good citizens of the world. No others have asked them simply to hold “malice toward none,” of their fellow human beings, and to attain “a just and lasting peace among ourselves and among all nations.”

With discord and debate lifted to such high levels today, it is more valuable than ever to remember Abraham Lincoln and the claim he has on all Americans. He represents the best of America and its people, and makes true the notion of the “American Dream,” the ability to be born poor and to rise up to success and greatness. The story of Lincoln’s ascent from a log cabin in Kentucky to the White House is just as appealing to people today as it was when he was elected in 1860.

The special place Lincoln holds in the hearts of all those who call the United States their home was evident when Barack Obama chose to have that Bible with him when he was sworn in. Drawing comparisons to Abraham Lincoln is a good way for anyone to come into the Presidency of the USA. The potency of Abraham Lincoln as a symbol for unity and pride has not lessened in 2009, and it does not look to be doing so any time soon.

The copyright of the article Lincoln's Legacy 150 years Later in American History is owned by Heath Lenoble. Permission to republish Lincoln's Legacy 150 years Later in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.