Abraham Lincoln's Accomplishments

There has been several great presidents in the United States. From John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. But the greatest president the United States has had was Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president. Abraham Lincoln served as president from March 1861 to his assassination in April 1865. During the time he served, the Civil War took place and he had different accomplishments like the ending of slavery, Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln is considered one of the best presidents in history because of his ways of leadership and the qualities he had that made him a great leader. He was one of the most dedicated and committed presidents in the United States He was also loyal, honest, respectful and patient. Without those qualities he would have
been just a regular leader just like other leaders in the world. Lincoln “committed himself to doing whatever it took to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” (pg78).
He dedicated all his time to our country. He took the time to learn everything there was to learn about the country. During the time he served, he gave a great amount of his time to the troops. He spent a large amount of his time to them because they were the ones that were going to do most of the work of the country and he wanted to make sure they would be prepared and focused. He eventually ended up living in the War Department’s telegraph office. Living in the War Department’s telegraph office, made it easier for him to access important information and make fast decisions. Lincoln made sure he knew every single one of the generals and cabinet members so he met with them in their offices and even in their homes. He made sure he was familiarized with the Navy Yard. Lincoln was not just focused on the people that made up the government, but he also focused on the people that made up the country. He would take short visits at his local hospitals and visit the sick people. When he did that he showed his more caring and compassionate
side. An important quality that describes Lincoln was honesty and integrity. He “was fair, trustworthy, sincere, straightforward, and truthful”(Pg. 6). People even gave him the nicknames of “Honest Abe” and “The Railsplitter”. He was trustworthy and loyal that everyone was able to count on him. “Lincoln as a commander in chief [he] was honest and straightforward with his generals, always telling them directly what he did and did not appreciate about them.” He was not afraid to tell his generals the truth which benefited him because that was a way he could choose the people that were better for his cabinet. When it came to making tough decisions, he always knew just what to do because he would think about the consequences and he would think about other solutions.
Lincoln was not greedy or unjust. Through his eyes everyone was created equal and he believed that everyone should be treated equally too. We can see that he did believe that everyone should be treated equally was when Lincoln made 13th amendment become part of the United States Constitution. The 13th amendment was the abolishment of slavery. This meant that no one in the United States would be able to own slaves and all the people who owned slaves were to let the slaves be free. Lincoln felt like the Declaration of Independence also included African Americans. He believed that African Americans had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It did not matter what color they were, they still had equal rights just like every other human being.
Lincoln was not selfish either. If Lincoln worked hard enough to reach the top and then he met his goal and was above everybody else, he did not brag about it or discouraged others telling them that they would not succeed, he would actually help the person behind him become better. Lincoln would make sure the people around him did well and would be successful just as he was successful. He was a genuine, helpful leader. As a president, Lincoln was a great listener. When there was any kind of dispute, he would listen to all the different points of views before making any decisions. He not only was a great listener, but he had the eye to choose the correct people to form the government. One of the most important jobs a president has been to appoint leaders. It was important because the correct people that would make up his cabinet because those members were the ones that gave him advice in the decisions he should make and what orders to give.
Lincoln also knew how to keep his temper calm.
If at any moment he felt angry he would enter a room all by himself and take a couple of deep breaths. Instead of taking our his anger directly to the person that made him angry, he would write letters. In his letters he would write to the person about what they did that made him angry. He wrote numerous letters to different people, but never sent them. Writing letter helped him not lose his temper when he was around people. There are people who cannot manage to keep their temper, but Lincoln had the skill know know to keep his temper under control. This made him a successful leader because there are times when something may not work out the way it was suppose to or if someone would disobey the rules the leader had given and that makes a leader angry and can do or can say something that later may regret. If Lincoln was not able to keep himself calm in a frustrating situation, then other people may think that he is not role model material because he does not know how to keep himself calm. There was a time when one of his generals did not follow an order Lincoln gave him and did what the general wanted to do. Because the general made his own decision to do something that Lincoln had not ordered everything went wrong. The plan that Lincoln had set up went totally wrong and that ruined the way the plan’s goal. Lincoln was furious and went to his quiet room and began to write him a letter that he would never send. In the letter he
expressed the way he was feeling at the moment. He wrote about how the general had changed and also the reasons of why when an order it should be followed as it is given.
Lincoln was an undoubtedly great leader. He knew how to make the right decisions at the right moment. He was always so honest about everything. He gave his honest opinions when they were needed and was never selfish. He liked to help others and was compassionate to the sick and the needy. Lincoln also so equality in everyone. He respected every individual and believed everyone deserved equal rights. He was also one of the most dedicated and committed presidents of the United States. He gave so much of his time to our country that he even started living with the generals so that he can be alert and be ready to make fast decisions.