danajohnhill.org | Hard Times Come Again No More

Today is the 200th birthday of the greatest American, Abraham Lincoln.

As a number of recent books and documentaries point out, much of what is believed today about Lincoln says more about us than about him.  That is to say, Lincoln is such a towering figure, that everyone wants to have Lincoln on his side.  So, whatever beliefs or ideals you hold, you will attempt to ascribe those to Lincoln.  The problem with this is obvious.

Meanwhile, I find it vexing that some today try to vilify Lincoln because his words and actions do not live up to the idea of perfection we have attributed to Lincoln.  For example, as twenty-first century Americans, it shocks some that Lincoln did not believe that blacks were the intellectual equal of whites, or that Lincoln used “the N-word”.  Some take this fact and reach the unreasonable conclusion that Lincoln was a “white supremacist” and a racist.  The problem with this, of course, is that these people are not acknowledging the reality of context.  When Lincoln lived, almost every white American was incredibly racist and almost nobody–and certainly nobody in the mainstream of society–was arguing for full equality for blacks.  The truth is this: Lincoln was always opposed to slavery, and no other man with a realistic chance of becoming president of the United States in 1861 was as open-minded, or better suited for that office, in those circumstances, at that time.  It is difficult to imagine anyone else but Lincoln having the wisdom and tenacity to preserve the Union.  Abraham Lincoln personally did more good for his country than any other man.  If you care that Florida and Vermont are in the same country today, thank Abraham Lincoln.

Meanwhile, as one who appreciates good writing, I am endlessly impressed by Lincoln’s words.  One of the best teachers I’ve ever had, Professor Brian McCrea, often quotes Lincoln’s second inaugural address, and cites it as the ideal example of parallel sentence structure.

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up our nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Setting aside the beauty of the language, and the nobility of the content, that sentence is structurally brilliant.  It is remarkably long for one sentence, but it is held together perfectly by its parallel structure.  It even follows Dr. McCrea’s convention that the last clause in a parallel sentence should be the longest (in this case, “to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations”).  A politician today would not have said the preceding the same way.  He would more likely say, “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in.  Let us bind up our nations wounds”, etc.  Parallel structure, as Dr. McCrea would say, is a feature of sophisticated writing.

Happy Birthday, Lincoln.

Filed under: History, Special Occasions on February 12th, 2009