Abraham Lincoln - Critical Analysis
Abraham Lincoln
Prepared for : Leadership Skills - HOST 2006. Prof. Tracey Kalimeris
Prepared by: Priyan Wijayarartna 100743970; Janshan Rasanayagam 100719742; Paramjit Lal 100709160
November 14, 2011
1
Why choose Abraham Lincoln?
There are so many great leaders from our collective past and present, so choosing one to focus on as a Leader was not an easy task. We decided to let fate decide and took out a penny. Just before flipping the coin, Janshan noticed that it was an American Penny and wasn't sure what the emblems on the coin were. It was Abraham Lincoln's face and the Lincoln Washington memorial building . Inscribed on the penny is " In God we Trust." What we knew of him at that moment was that he was considered a great American president who was assassinated while watching a theatre production with his wife. We also knew that he was the President that freed the negro slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation and because of this action, had to face a civil war that divided the United States The North vs The South. Today, the United States Commander and Chief is from African
American heritage and it is because of Abraham Lincoln's leadership that today this is a reality. We were excited to discover more of this great mans life - his character, his trials and tribulations and how he managed to free over 3 million African American slaves and unite a country in turmoil at the same time! When reading about his early life, to someone who knew nothing of Abraham Lincoln before his Presidency would have perceived him to be nothing of distinction. He was born from two poor farmers who had little or no formal education. He had only a year of schooling
throughout his adolescence and taught himself how to read and write. His step mom Sarah Lincoln wrote that ,
2
"Abe read all the books he could lay his hands on....he never told me a lie in his life, never evaded, never quarreled, never dodged nor turned a corner to avoid any chastisement or other
Prepared for : Leadership Skills - HOST 2006. Prof. Tracey Kalimeris
Prepared by: Priyan Wijayarartna 100743970; Janshan Rasanayagam 100719742; Paramjit Lal 100709160
November 14, 2011
1
Why choose Abraham Lincoln?
There are so many great leaders from our collective past and present, so choosing one to focus on as a Leader was not an easy task. We decided to let fate decide and took out a penny. Just before flipping the coin, Janshan noticed that it was an American Penny and wasn't sure what the emblems on the coin were. It was Abraham Lincoln's face and the Lincoln Washington memorial building . Inscribed on the penny is " In God we Trust." What we knew of him at that moment was that he was considered a great American president who was assassinated while watching a theatre production with his wife. We also knew that he was the President that freed the negro slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation and because of this action, had to face a civil war that divided the United States The North vs The South. Today, the United States Commander and Chief is from African
American heritage and it is because of Abraham Lincoln's leadership that today this is a reality. We were excited to discover more of this great mans life - his character, his trials and tribulations and how he managed to free over 3 million African American slaves and unite a country in turmoil at the same time! When reading about his early life, to someone who knew nothing of Abraham Lincoln before his Presidency would have perceived him to be nothing of distinction. He was born from two poor farmers who had little or no formal education. He had only a year of schooling
throughout his adolescence and taught himself how to read and write. His step mom Sarah Lincoln wrote that ,
2
"Abe read all the books he could lay his hands on....he never told me a lie in his life, never evaded, never quarreled, never dodged nor turned a corner to avoid any chastisement or other
References: 1. 2. Kunhardt, Philip (1999) 42-108, Lincoln: An illustrated Biography. New York, NY, Gramercy Books.Random House Publishing. Field Manual 6-22, Army Leadership: Competent, Confident, and Agile. 12 October 2006. Grant, U. S. (1885–86). Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant.New York: Charles L. Webster & Company. Retrieved 5 October 2005 from http://www.bartleby.com/1011/101.html Phillips, D. T. (1992). Lincoln on Leadership—Executive Strategies for Tough Times. New York: Warner Books, Inc. 3. 4. 11 5. 6. 7. The History Place Presents. (1996). A. Lincoln. Retrieved 26 September 2005 from http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/ Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in Organizations. 6th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. http://www.mc.edu/rotc/index.php/download_file/-/view/174/ 12