In his four years as president, Lincoln endured all of the cruel antagonism and
sever criticism directed at him. And the fact is that he not only endured the
slander but overcame it to secure victory in the Civil War and preserve the nation
-- a most amazing achievement. In the process, he also reorganized the American
military system expanded the limits of presidential authority, abolished slavery,
and renewed the spirit of patriotism in America. "
From Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips, pg 68.
The words "E Pluribus Unum", found on the back of the coin honoring Lincoln means "from the many one". With recent attacks on the nation, additional discussion is necessary. What is often forgotten about the civil war is that for four years, 1861 to 1865, the state's rights system of government was put into practice and failed. Confederate states could agree only to secede. They could not even agree on a common currency and routinely ignored the directives from Richmond, the Confederate capital. Then, and today owing to the events of 9/11/2001, as a nation, we are wounded ... but in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "we will bind up our nation's wounds with the strength and resolve of our people and emerge even stronger and more determined." It is the establishment of systems that compels followers and defines leadership.
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http://www.eskimo.com/~mighetto/lspenny.htm - last update 14 September 2001.