Lincoln's Life Lesson on Saving Democracy
A towering man faced the townspeople in the morning rain and chill. His parting words from a train made the throng of one thousand weep. He was near tears. The journey ahead would be long, hard and bloody.
The date: February 11, 1861. The town: Springfield, Illinois. The man: President-elect Abraham Lincoln. The next day: his 52nd birthday. He, his wife, Mary, and their sons were Washington-bound.
I gave a birthday party for Lincoln on Presidents Day weekend. I asked a lawyer named John from Wisconsin to enact Lincoln's simple "Farewell Address." It breaks your heart every time.
This year, the echo chamber between now and then is especially clear to hear. Lincoln saved American democracy. Can we the people do the same?
The nation was in peril as Lincoln spoke. Unheralded events fell squarely on his shoulders. The Supreme Court had delivered a terrible decision on race that enraged the Northern half of the nation. Several Southern states declared open rebellion from the Union.
Like a Greek epic where the hero foresees his tragic fate, Lincoln's destiny -- and leadership as civil war broke out -- are all in the affectionate farewell. That gray day marked a new chapter for the railroad lawyer, the first president born outside the original 13 American states.
True, it's not the Gettysburg Address, nor the powerful second inaugural. But it's my favorite. Lincoln spoke in the moment, gathering his thoughts as he bade goodbye to people he knew and loved.
With no text, Lincoln captured his elegiac emotions so exactly that it gives you the best glimmer into his soul.
First: "To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe every thing. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man."
Gratitude and humility shine in the lines.
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