Unfortunately, men of this caliber who decide to enter the political arena, only come around about once every 100 years or so.
Though not a Founding Father, Abraham Lincoln’s place in history is secure. In presidential rankings, he consistently comes in No. 2 after George Washington. That’s not to say that Adams, Jefferson, and Madison were not histrorically important and consequential presidencies; they were. Lincoln however stands a cut above. Why?
Our 16th president stood on principles and ideals, just as his predecessors did, but with one big difference: his principles and ideals were tested through four long years of bloodshed and war. Lincoln knew intuitively and intellectually that slavery was a bankrupt institution. He knew deep in his heart of hearts that it was morally wrong. He summoned all his oratorical skills and said so in many speeches: “I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” Lincoln staked all his political capital on it, indeed the fate of the union, and ultimately, his life. It is very rare for a person from the political sphere to have a moral compass that points to True North most of the time. Then again, Lincoln was a rare politician with an unyielding faith in God, in what was right and wrong, and the course of his actions. Lincoln knew that his actions were in harmony with spiritual principles. He never wavered, and in the end, he prevailed.
One-hundred-and-twenty-one years later, another American was sworn in as the 40th president of the U.S: Ronald Reagan. Like Lincoln, Reagan was also a man of faith who stood on a set of principles and ideals that guided the course he would take to make the world a safer place. He saw communism as wrong, and was not afraid to call it out for what it was – an evil system that enslaved its people. He once referred to the U.S.S.R. as the “Evil Empire”. The Cold War had been building-up since the 50s and Reagan was not about to let the Soviets gain the advantage. With the domestic economy back on track, he turned up the pressure with his “Peace through Strength” policies … rebuilding America’s military into a modern world-wide powerful presence. He not only out-spent the Soviets, his build-up ultimately bankrupted the U.S.S.R. which in turn started its disintegration. When Reagan took office, there were 22 communist countries. Just four years later after the collapse of the Soviet system there were … and currently are, just five communist countries. As Margaret Thatcher said, “He won the Cold War without firing a shot.”
Both Lincoln and Reagan had a noble vision of how the world could be, but more importantly, they had the moral courage to bring about those changes. It’s interesting, both men spent considerable time in IL; Reagan spent his childhood in Dixon and Lincoln spent many years in Springfield, a mere 150 miles apart. Neither man held political grudges. Washington can be a nasty place full of intrigue and treachery, but both Lincoln and Reagan rose above all that to fulfill their destinies. They were truly great American presidents who made the world a better and safer place.
With Faith, there is Hope… PW