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History 105 Fall 2015

Hieu Cong Nguyen

Dr. Vaught

Oates Paper.

Abraham in!oln" e#en though his time being the presi$ent %as not as long as other great

Presi$ents o& the 'nite$ (tates" is !onsi$ere$ one o& the greatest. )his &a!t is illustrate$ through

hun$re$s o& boo*san$" stories %ritten about him. Furthermore" %ithin our !hil$hoo$" %e ha$

been tol$ myths about in!oln as a (aint %ho !ame to this %orl$ to res!ue the (la#es" unite the

%hole nation $uring the Ci#il +ar" !ontribute to the e!onomi! su!!ess an$ strengthen the &e$eral

go#ernment. On the other han$perspe!ti#e" %ithin the boo*Abraham Lincoln: The Man Behind

the Myths" (tephen Oates has sho%n to the rea$ers the reality about the li&e o& their ,mythi!al-

in!oln %ho %as ust a normal person li*e all the others. He ma$e mista*es in li&e" he ha$ his

%ea*nesses but he %as spe!ial in a %ay that he !oul$ !reate remar*able a!hie#ements. )he boo*

$i$ not !hange our per!eption about in!oln base$ on the myth but help the rea$ers to

un$erstan$ the presi$ent $eeper" sin!e ,myths %ere !reate$ to re#eal our $eepest longings as a

people-. /Oates" 13

On the in!oln4s myth tol$ by Carl (an$burg" Carl (an$burg $es!ribes in!oln is

$es!ribe$as a boy %ho %as born to be a (a#ior. He %as simple" honest" ambitious" humorous

an$ %ise. During his !hil$hoo$" in!oln ha$ to shu!* !orn &rom the early morning until the

sun$o%n so he !oul$ only rea$ boo*s un$er the light o& a &ire through the night. Di&&erent &rom

the myth" Oates state$ that although in!oln is a boo* mania!" the boy a!tually rea$ boo*s in the

&iel$ %hene#er he %as a%ay &rom %or*. in!oln immerse$ himsel& in the language an$ the

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literary $e#i!es o& the boo*" %hi!h eplain &or his ama6ing language an$ %riting s*ills later in

li&e. Furthermore" in!oln %as not an outgoing" but rather a se!reti#e person. He *ept his inner

&eelings $eep insi$e his heart an$ %as obsesse$ %ith $eath. )here&ore" it is ob#ious that in!oln

ha$ strengths an$ %ea*nesses.

Not only %ere there myths about in!oln" but there %ere !ounter7myths about him as

%ell. 8n the eyes o& the (outherner" Presi$ent in!oln %as the !ol$7hearte$ #illain %ho starte$ the

!i#il %ar an$ signe$ the 9man!ipation Pro!lamation %hi!h they blame$ &or the loss o& their main

sour!e o& labor. )hey !ompare him %ith any terrible things that they !an thin* o&. )hey sai$

in!oln %as un:uali&ie$ an$ ill7suite$ to be the Presi$ent" but they $i$ not re!ogni6e that in or$er

to be the Presi$ent o& the 'nite$ (tates" in!oln must ha#e something spe!ial. ;orn in a %or*ing

!lass &amily" in!oln4s &ather ha$ no &ormal e$u!ation" an$ in!oln trie$ har$ to e$u!ate himsel&

&or impro#ement" ,%ith an aspiration &or high station in li&e that burne$ in him li*e a &urna!e-

/Oates" 13. in!oln re!ei#e$ his la%yer !erti&i!ate all by his o%n sel&7tea!hing an$ earn

respe!t &rom his !olleagues. High sel&7$etermination" great ambitious an$ a huge lo#e &or his

!ountry is %hat ma$e in!oln a great Presi$ent. Very &e% *no%Fe% are a%are that in the &irst

pla!e" in!oln %as not an abolitionist o& sla#ery. He ha$ no intention to abolish it e#en though he

a!*no%le$ge$ that sla#ery %as totally %rong. )his is be!ause o& the ultimate Constitution

%ritten by the Foun$ing Fathers. )hey $i$ not epli!itly %rite $o%n the %or$ ,sla#ery- in the

Constitution. )he !ontra$i!tion ,!reate$ a pain&ul $ilemma &or in!oln< a system he $eeply lo#e$

ha$ institutionali6e$ a thing he abominate$.- /Oates" 13.

+hen the Fort (umter !risis happene$ as the restri!tion o& the (outhern (tates to%ar$ the

ne% Presi$ent" in!oln %as #ery !on&use$. He thought about the !onse:uen!es i& the Ci#il +ar

really happene$ but &inally $e!i$e$ not to surren$er to this rebellion. He ha$ %on &airly in the

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1=0 ele!tion an$ be!ame the o&&i!ial Presi$ent o& the 'nite$ (tates so he %oul$ not let any (tate

separate &rom the 'nion %ithout his permission. in!oln4s response results in a Ci#il +ar %as

not only the a!t o& prote!ting the Presi$ent po%er" it is the a!t to pro#e to the %orl$ that a

republi! is the most i$ealisti! &orm o& go#ernment. Furthermore" the Ci#il +ar le$ to the

9man!ipation Pro!lamation" not the &a!t that in!oln ha$ been ele!te$ as the ne% Presi$ent o&

the 'nite$ (tates. During the Ci#il +ar" in!oln4s a!tion goes &ar &rom the imagination o& the

(outhern people. He trie$ by all means to ma*e the $eaths as &e% as possible. He %as al%ays in

the telegraph o&&i!e %hene#er he ha$ spare time to re!ei#e the latest ne%s about the %ar. ,He

e#en brought $o!uments to the telegraph o&&i!e an$ %or*e$ on them at a borro%e$ $es*- /Oates"

13.

On >anuary 1st" 1=? Presi$ent Abraham in!oln issue$ the 9man!ipation Pro!lamation

as a military measure to en!ourage the sla#es an$ gi#e them hope that the @o#ernment %ill %in

the %ar. )he 9man!ipation Pro!lamation %as not e#en &ree the sla#es" but also &ree in!oln &rom

his $ilemma. in!oln then %as able to abolish sla#ery the a!t that is morally %rong but as a

Presi$ent o& the (tates" the Constitution pre#ente$ him to $o so. ,No% the publi! statesman

!oul$ $estroy %hat he regar$e$ as ,a !ruel %rong- that ha$ al%ays besmir!he$ Ameri!a4s

eperiment in popular go#ernment.- /Oates" 13.

)his spe!ta!ular boo* ha$ $eepen the un$erstan$ing o& the rea$ers about one o& their

greatest Presi$ent signi&i!antly. All the myths about Abraham in!oln be!ame un$erstan$able

an$ belie#able sin!e a&ter rea$ing this boo* the au$ien!e appre!iate$ more on %hat he ha$ $one

$uring his li&e. Oates is not trying to remo#e the $emigo$ status o& in!oln" he is trying to sho%

that in!oln is ust a normal person li*e the others" but he !an a!hie#e mira!le things that no one

!an e#er imagine. ,)he in!oln o& mythology !arries the tor!h o& the Ameri!an $ream" a $ream

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o& noble i$ealism" o& sel&7sa!ri&i!e an$ !ommon humanity" o& liberty an$ e:uality &or all.- /Oates"

13.

;ibliography

Oates, S. (1984).Abraham Lincoln, the man behind the myths. New York: Harper &

Row.