Recently, I finished the book Team of Rivals. It is a remarkable book that goes in depth about the political life of Abraham Lincoln and his colleagues and rivals.
I got to know more about him, life in America around that time, and political figures such as William Seward, Edward Bates, Salmon Chase, and Edwin Stanton. I also got to know about the personal lives of each of them, including, of course, Abraham Lincoln.
The book gave me great detail about the Civil War, its battles, and, most importantly, the intricacies of political life and managing the war.
Fighting the war is one aspect; managing it, however, proved to be far more difficult. You have to choose a general, appease that general, and appease the political figures who support that general. You can't just bring in anyone and let him lead the army. You have to be careful about whom you choose. You never know if he is capable, and when he proves not to be capable, you can't just replace him because he has countless political figures backing him.
All of these generals, cabinet members, and political figures were each working to advance their ambitions and had their own ideas about what was right.
Abraham Lincoln succeeded in managing all of that.
Through clever maneuvering, he succeeded in keeping his party, cabinet, and country united to fight the war and come out victorious.
Throughout the book, I found many aspects of Lincoln that clearly stood out. I came to learn that he was not a genius, he was not the most capable or the most intelligent, and certainly he was not the most well-educated. However, he possessed such traits and characteristics as to make him become the man we know today.
Strong Will
The first and most important thing is his strong will.
He possessed such a will as not to be broken, no matter what. I don't think he believed that he would be a legend someday, but certainly, from a young age, he wanted to live so as to be remembered. He had a yearning and an ambition to do something that would make him remembered.
It gave him the motivation to stay alive through the most difficult periods, and it gave him the will to study and advance himself.
As president, his strong will was projected in front of his colleagues and people. His confidence, strong character, and belief in the Union carried him throughout the war. Even in the darkest of days, when hope seemed lost, he was there, standing and managing the war.
He never abandoned his duties and always did what was best to help the country.
In short, his strong will was never broken, and his beliefs carried him through the darkest of days. I think many people in his situation would waver and give up, but he didn't.
As this was projected to other people, it made them believe in him and have confidence in him too.
Timing and Patience
The second thing is timing and patience.
He never did anything haphazardly or without thinking it through first. Many of his decisions and public statements came at the perfect time.
From what I understood, I can say that when a decision needed to be made, he first thought it through, then took advice from his colleagues, and finally waited for the right time to announce it.
Many of his opinions were expressed in his formal speeches. He took the occasion to express his opinions and explain his intentions instead of just giving a formal speech.
Other statements were issued only when he felt that the public was ready to accept them, such as after a victory. His Emancipation Proclamation was only published when he felt that the public was ready to accept it.
When an issue was presented or an attack was directed at him, he waited and thought carefully before tackling the issue and giving his counterarguments.
Many of Lincoln's decisions and actions could have drifted in the wrong direction and had dire consequences if he did not wait for the right time to make them. This, in turn, made them work toward the best outcomes.
Magnanimous Nature
Third is his magnanimous nature.
He never took a personal insult and treated everyone with kindness. This helped him immensely in gaining friends and building a strong image of himself.
Many of his enemies turned into friends after some time when they saw how generously he treated them. Had he taken offense and replied to them with hatred, they would have become his sworn enemies.
An example of that is the people responsible for making him lose the nomination for the Senate. He accepted the defeat and didn't attack the people responsible. Instead, he treated them with generosity and supported them, and this made them friends.
Another very important point is that he never became defensive. No matter what insults or attacks were directed at him, he never defended himself. He accepted everything that came his way with humbleness and humor, and this was a big part of his nature.
Even in anger, he would wait before sending a reply or not send it altogether. Even when he did something to offend someone, he made sure to smooth things out and admit the overreaction.
He never made a fool of himself, but he also never made a fool of others or looked down on them.
The kindness with which he treated other people and his good nature served to gather people around him and earn their respect.
Gift for Storytelling
Fourth is his gift for storytelling.
From early childhood, Lincoln learned the art of storytelling from his father. He always entertained people with stories, anecdotes, and passages from books. This gained him friends and made people enjoy his company.
Moreover, many of his stories served to illustrate a point, like driving a nail into the minds of people. An idea or a moral that would take a lot of words to explain, he could explain with a simple and humorous story.
Staying True to Himself
Finally, he was always true to himself.
Once Abraham Lincoln took a step, he never went back.
During the election, all candidates changed their positions to align with the political views of either the conservatives or the radicals, but Abraham Lincoln didn't change his position. He stayed true to his original ideas and opinions.
He also made sure to let everyone know that once the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, he was not going to reverse his position on slavery.
Staying firm in his position both earned him respect and gave him a strong direction to walk toward.