Abraham Lincoln and the Wisdom of History

Abstract

While many historians have commented on Abraham Lincoln’s use of the past, none have systematically analyzed it throughout his political career. To conduct this analysis, it was necessary to consult Lincoln’s surviving written records, the reminiscences of those who knew him, and the historical sources that he potentially had available to him. This thesis argues that Abraham Lincoln used the past as an essential source of wisdom to guide himself and the nation throughout the course of his political career. From the very beginning, Lincoln made highly emotional appeals to the past, which were frequently about but not limited to the memory of the Founding Fathers. Starting in 1839, Lincoln began conducting serious research using many skills commonly used by historians to construct arguments. When he emerged from political obscurity to challenge the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, he began to use history as a source of motivation, namely that by opposing slavery, their memory could be cherished in the future just like that of the Founding Fathers. Although he may never have been a believing Christian, in the final years of his life, he began using religious language to argue that there were greater forces at work in history than human intention. While Lincoln always used the past to help him make sense of his present, he was never limited by its precedents and was willing to set new ones when he thought necessary. By analyzing Abraham Lincoln’s use of the past, it not only sheds light on an important figure in American history, but it also demonstrates how people can properly use history as a source of wisdom to guide them in their personal and public lives.