Abraham Lincoln’s Obituaries in 1865 and 2015 Essay (Article)

November 23, 2020 by Essay Writer

April 16, 1865

Today, April 16, 1865, is the lamentable day for the nation that lost the greatest of her leaders. Abraham Lincoln, the Sixteenth President of the United States, breathed his last at 7:22 a.m. in the house of a Mr. Peterson across the street from the Ford theater where the vicious conspirators’ bullet shot him the night before. The assassin, a Ford actor John Booth fled from the crime scene and managed to escape.

Abraham Lincoln was born in a cabin on the frontier between Kentucky and Indiana. The background the future President ascended from was humble. The Leader was self-educated, a book lover, a joker, and a laugher, a hard worker, a Black Hawk War veteran (Williams & Pederson, 2009).

His family is left devastated over the loss of a loving husband and a caring father of four children. The nation mourns him as children would, for we have learned to rely on President Lincoln, who proved he is worthy of the nation’s trust. This man showed us what Unity is; he inspired us to fight for the ideals that he valued the deepest: democracy, freedom, justice, and brotherhood. He was the first to ever raise his voice and map the path to the death of slavery. What others could never reach with sword and fire, Abraham Lincoln achieved “with malice towards none” (Oates, 2009). His kindness and cold-headedness, his integrity, and clever wit, his benevolence and goodwill make this loss unbearable further still.

Today, the nation is in the deepest sorrow. She will forever remember Abraham Lincoln as the greatest and the best ever since the Founding Fathers and will faithfully discharge her duties and live up to the expectations of the one who has so untimely left her.

April 16, 2015

On this day a century and a half ago, at 7:22 a. m., President Abraham Lincoln passed away from a mortal wound inflicted by pro-Confederate conspirator and a theatrical actor John Booth. Lincoln had a brain wound and, upon his death, became the first President who was assassinated (Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, & Hartmann, 2014).

An eloquent speaker and a talented essayist, the President, clearly stated his goals which would later constitute his legacy. In his second inaugural speech, Lincoln voiced his famous directive which declared charity and goodwill. His ultimate goal was the Unity and freedom of slaves; a brilliant strategist, Abraham Lincoln led the country into a struggle for freedom. He thought the war would last less; although his expectations were not justified, he did his best to prevent outer interference into the War.

Among other things, his domestic policies included the Homestead Act enabling the Eastern poor to purchase Western lands. Also, the National Banking Act stabilized the monetary policy, and the tariff legislation protected the nation’s industry (Johnson, 2012). Owing to Lincoln’s efforts, the Union was preserved. The President did not live up to permanent eradication of slavery, but his Emancipation Act was an important step, at that (Johnson, 2012).

He was 59 years of age when the pro-Confederate conspiracy plan succeeded. His immediate family and close friends, as well as prominent doctors of the time, witnessed his death. Lincoln’s body was buried in the Oak Ridge Cemetery on the 4th of May, 1865 (Oates, 2009). The country was mourning her leader, remembering him as a person of humble character and cast-iron will (The Murder of President Lincoln, n.d.; Welles & Welles, 1911). Today, the Sixteenth President is honored for his achievements and remembered as a person for whom unity, peace, and freedom prevailed.

References

Johnson, M. P. (2012). Reading the American past: Selected historical documents: Volume 1: To 1877 (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Oates, S. B. (2009). With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Roark, J. L., Johnson, M. P., Cohen, P. C., Stage, S., & Hartmann, S. M. (2014). The American promise: A concise history, volume 1: To 1877 (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

The Murder of President Lincoln. (n.d.). Web.

Welles, G., & Welles, E. T. (1911). Diary of Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy under Lincoln and Johnson. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Williams, F. J., & Pederson, W. D. (2009). Lincoln Lessons: Reflections on America’s Greatest Leader. Carbondale, Il: SIU Press.

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