Abraham Lincoln Questions and Answers
Abraham Lincoln
Identify the values that Lincoln expects the teacher to teach his son in the letter to his son's headmaster.
Lincoln instructs his son's headmaster to teach his son how to be a good and honorable person. Lincoln's instructions show that he values both academic achievement and the development of a sense of...
Abraham Lincoln
Why do you think the Lincoln writes such a letter to his son's teacher?
There are some specific challenges in fully understanding the motivation of Lincoln to writing such a poignantly powerful letter to his son's teacher. I do think that we can examine his own...
Abraham Lincoln
When did Abraham Lincoln use the phrase "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master?"
Historians know a great deal about Abraham Lincoln. Strangely enough, though, they do not know the exact source of the saying that you quote here. It is believed to have been written by Lincoln...
Abraham Lincoln
Which document, referred in the quote, did Abraham Lincoln bring the cabinet together to read to them before issuing...
In some respects, process of elimination might be the best element to be used here. The Gettysburg Address was written in 1863, at the near midpoint of the Civil War. Lincoln was elected in the...
Abraham Lincoln
Describe someone who influenced Abraham Lincoln both personally and politically, other than his father. 2 people...
Undoubtedly, Abraham Lincoln was influenced both personally and professionally by the deaths of several brothers during the Civil War, a grievous loss to their mother, Lydia Bixby of Boston. His...
Abraham Lincoln
According to the author, in what areas of life is courage actually required?
For Lincoln in the letter to his son's teacher, I believe that courage is identified with the need to stand for one's convictions or beliefs. Lincoln articulates this in the letter through direct...
Abraham Lincoln
What was Abraham Lincoln’s position on slavery when he campaigned in 1860?
After his performance in the debates with Stephen Douglas during the 1858 campaign, Abraham Lincoln rose to national prominence. Until the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution...
Abraham Lincoln
What are some rhetorical devices used in the Gettysburg Address?
Abraham Lincoln is a master at using rhetorical devices in short speeches. In particular, his use of anaphora is notable in the Gettysburg Address. For instance, in the final paragraph, in order...
Abraham Lincoln
Given what you know about the historical context of the Gettysburg Address, define the "unfinished work" left for the...
The "unfinished work" that the dead at Gettysburg had "thus far so nobly advanced" was described less than a sentence later as "the great task remaining before us." In the Gettysburg Address,...
Abraham Lincoln
How do Lincoln’s actions at the time of his First Inauguration reflect his believe that America could not exist as a...
Lincoln was remarkably consistent in his idea that the nation cannot continue on a path where it represents "half free" and "half slave." He did not want to be the aggressor and took steps to...
Abraham Lincoln
Why is the Gettysburg Address so memorable?
There will be many reasons why the speech is so memorable. I think that I consider it to be memorable because it represents the essence of how the framers' envisioned American Government. Lincoln...
Abraham Lincoln
How might one compare and contrast Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass's visions of America?
On the whole, one could say that Lincoln's vision of America was a good deal more positive than Douglas' vision. It's not really difficult to see why. Lincoln was a white man who'd never...
Abraham Lincoln
Assess the greatest challenge President Lincoln faced in the first year of his Presidency.
I tend to think that Lincoln's most pressing problem in his first year of office had to be what to do with the South. By the time Lincoln had settled into his first year as being President, the...
Abraham Lincoln
Was Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan suitable considering the massive toll the Civil War took on American society?...
Lincoln's Reconstruction proposals were relatively lenient to the defeated South. Under his 'Ten Per Cent Plan' a Confederate state would be readmitted to the Union once ten per cent of its voters...
Abraham Lincoln
In Lincoln's first Inaugural Address which types of appeal does he use to try to persuade the southerners?
In his first inaugural address, Lincoln appeals to Southerners on a number of different levels. (Recall that, by the time of Lincoln's inaugural, seven southern states had already seceded, and...
Abraham Lincoln
Did Abraham Lincoln subscribe to the idea of American exceptionalism? If so, when, and how did Lincoln demonstrate...
The best evidence that Abraham Lincoln subscribed to the idea of American exceptionalism can be found in the Gettysburg Address. American exceptionalism is, basically speaking, the idea that...
Abraham Lincoln
What was the disorder that Abraham Lincoln had that caused him to be tall and thin? I cannot recall if it was a...
I have heard that Abraham Lincoln may have suffered from Marfan's Syndrome. One of the indicators of this condition are rather long and slender limbs. People with Marfan's are often quite tall and...
Abraham Lincoln
What moral lesson did you learn from reading about the great man Abraham Lincoln ?
I think that the most important moral lesson I have learned from reading about Abraham Lincoln is that it is not always possible to act in an idealistic way. Sometimes you have to be pragmatic and...
Abraham Lincoln
How was Abraham Lincoln assassinated?
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He served his first term starting in 1861, and was elected for a second term starting in 1865, but was assassinated near the beginning...
Abraham Lincoln
What strikes you as the most interesting aspect of Lincoln's "Second Inaugural Address," which he delivered a little...
Of course, readers will draw their own conclusions, but one very interesting aspect of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address is the amount of attention he focuses on the recently abolished institution...
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln-- Greatest American President? Do you think Abraham Lincoln was the best American president in...
I do believe that Abraham Lincoln was the greatest American President. Washington did have a difficult task as the first American President, but Lincoln had to truly define what our nation really...
Abraham Lincoln
What was significant about Abraham Lincoln's Temperance speech?
This speech, given nearly a quarter century before Lincoln would become president of the United States, is interesting in the sense that it exemplifies many of the things about Lincoln that will...
Abraham Lincoln
Describe how two important people from Lincoln's life impacted him both personally and politically.
I would say that Lincoln's father was a person who impacted his life personally and politically. From a personal point of view, the little that is known about Lincoln's father is that he had a "...
Abraham Lincoln
How is Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address a consideration of the significance of emancipation and the Union...
In his second inaugural address, delivered in March of 1865, President Abraham Lincoln expressed guarded optimism that the Civil War would soon end. He not only commented on the issue of slavery as...
Abraham Lincoln
Give an overview of Abraham Lincoln's religious beliefs.
Most scholars agree that President Abraham Lincoln was a religious man. However, modern interpretations and newly discovered documents show doubt on the specific brand of Lincoln's religion, and...
Abraham Lincoln
What are some interesting fun facts about Abraham Lincoln. (Example--why the beard?)
The story of why Abraham Lincoln had a beard is one of the most famous anecdotes about him. Unlike many such stories, it actually is true. When he was running for president, an 11 year-old girl...
Abraham Lincoln
What happens at the beginning of Lincoln by David Herbert Donald?
In the Preface to Lincoln, Donald lays out what he does not talk about as well as what he does talk about. Essentially, what he does not talk about are large "philosophical" discussion of reasons...
Abraham Lincoln
What is Abraham Lincoln's impact on the present? The whole question is "What is Abraham Lincoln's impact on history,...
What you should think about first is how Lincoln's actions in the Civil War and with regard to slavery have shaped the country that we now have. By saving the Union and freeing the slaves, Lincoln...
Abraham Lincoln
Did Abraham Lincoln have any slaves?
No, Abraham Lincoln never owned slaves. Some other Presidents did, such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, a slave state, but his family opposed...
Abraham Lincoln
Discuss Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction.
Lincoln's plan for political Reconstruction is known to historians as the "ten percent plan." Essentially, Lincoln planned to readmit former Confederate states to the Union once ten percent of...
Abraham Lincoln
How did the ideas of power and responsibility change between the inaugural addresses of Lincoln and Kennedy?
Both of Abraham Lincoln's inaugural addresses focus on the United States exclusively. The great concern in both cases is the preservation of the union: he wanted the great experiment embarked upon...
Abraham Lincoln
What was at political stake for Lincoln in the Cooper Union speech?
For Lincoln, the Cooper Union speech carried with it the political stake of definition at a time where strict lines were being carved in the American political landscape. Lincoln recognized the...
Abraham Lincoln
To what extent is the statement "Great figures in history are only remembered for their positive impact on the world"...
The quotation is very true and certainly applies to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States and is considered to be one of the greatest. He is most well-known for...
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Identify two rhetorical devices Lincoln used in his Gettysburg Address. Give examples.
Two rhetorical devices Lincoln used in his famous Gettysburg Address are repetition and hypozeuxis. Repetition: A rhetorical device in which a word or word pattern is used several times to create...
Abraham Lincoln
In the Cooper Union speech, what is the purpose in addressing the Southerners?
I think that Lincoln was able to show his understanding of statesmanship and what leadership represents in his attempt to address the Southerners. Lincoln recognized that the Cooper Union speech...
Abraham Lincoln
in Honor of Abraham lincoln.....Would it be possible for an "Abraham Lincoln" caliber of leader to be elected in the...
America is split down the middle these days and can't agree on who we are or what we believe and represent. I would guess that this might be exactly how people felt in the mid-1800s when there was...
Abraham Lincoln
How did Stephen Douglas respond to Abraham Lincoln's belief that slavery had to halt for the United States to...
Essentially, Douglas remained fairly consistent in applying his argument for popular sovereignty to the debate over the expansion of slavery. He engaged in the time-honored (and still current)...
Abraham Lincoln
Based on Lincoln's Address at the New Jersey Senate, does he seem to indicate a form of American exceptionalism?...
The speech that Lincoln gives to the New Jersey Senate that features the lines in question is a complex one. I think that Lincoln does refer to the "uniqueness" of America. In his speech, he...