Lincoln Movie Leadership Analysis

I start this project on Lincoln’s leadership very reluctantly. I am a history buff and have always viewed his leadership through the eyes of jaded historians. They have portrayed him as a dictator, incompetent, and a buffoon at some points. After reading the Donald T. Phillips book Lincoln on Leadership, my mindset was totally changed. This book broke down four key areas that produced an effective leader in Lincoln. These areas are character, people, endeavor, and communication. I will be sharing a principal from each key area that I found important and then conclude with an overall thought.

In Abraham Lincoln, by George McGovern, McGovern summarizes and gives insight on one of the United States’ most well-known and highly praised presidents, Abraham Lincoln. McGovern thoroughly outlines Lincoln’s life, his struggles and how he became the great president that he was. One point McGovern continues to mention is how no matter how bad a situation was or even when people doubted Lincoln, he would take his defeats and preserve. In the beginning of the book, McGovern recounts Lincoln’s life as a kid and a young adult. He describes how no matter how bad Lincoln failed or how sad he was, “Lincoln would not resign himself to failure and loss; instead he learned from each experience and carried on” . In addition, McGovern continues to mention how Lincoln never stopped learning. From a young age, Lincoln loved to learn, read and expand his knowledge so he could fully analyze any situation. According to McGovern, this personality trait allowed Lincoln to work and rise up from a farmer’s son to the President of the United States. This trait, also, allowed Lincoln “to take a far more active role in managing military affairs” . Lincoln was able to come up with a new strategy for the Union to win the Civil War.

All though it was very dry at times, and could easily be classified as a uninteresting political movie about America’s most important historical moments, I enjoyed the film overall. Instead of focusing the movie on the life of Abraham Lincoln, it does focus on his passionate leadership in the final four months of his presidency. I soon began to sweat and clench my fists as the month of January continued in the movie, time crunching down and down as the Republican agents tried to gain more and more Democratic favor on the passing of the amendment. It felt like a fast-paced, parkour chase. I felt Lincoln wasn’t completely politically minded, constantly telling stories to many men and women who he comes in contact with, seeming humble and wise, always trying to give perspective with the moral of the story.

With the eruption of the Civil War came one of the biggest tribulations and trials that this country has ever faced, but as we understand the motives of one of the greatest Presidents in American History we can see that the Civil War was inevitable. From his original intentions of merely preserving the Union and holding the country together, to permanently abolishing slavery we can observe why prevailing in the struggle of the Civil War is one of Lincoln’s defining legacies. Thus, as the civil war draws to a close, an old tumultuous era has ended, and a new more prosperous era has

Abraham Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” is a solid example of a man that displays key leadership qualities to sway the many to do the right thing even though it is not the easiest path. For example, Abraham Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery for the greater good of mankind and to prove that freedom and equality was a right given to us all by God. He displayed great courage and integrity to pursue

Across time, political leaders have often been remembered for their greatness by how they faced challenges than with what particular skills or abilities they had during their time in office. This statement is known to be true as political leaders are often expected to solve certain issues or challenges when in office and if their contributions benefit the state or country. Additionally, history books, records, and scholarly journals will take note of a leader’s response to challenges, how they are handled, and if the issue is solved more than whether they adequately used certain skills and abilities to solve the problem. In short, challenges, when faced, allow the political leaders to be remembered more so than their talents.

President Abraham Lincoln orated a powerful persuasive speech in his Second Inaugural Address, just one month before the end of the Civil War. This speech shed light to his contemplation of the effects of the Civil War and provided his vision for the future of the nation. Lincoln’s address was written through a logical theme that focused on the unity of the country. He used religion, specific diction, and flat-out logical thinking to convey his message. The speech was given as the Civil War was ending, and President Lincoln wanted to provide a bit of light in a very dark time. He could have given the lengthy speech that the audience expected; but instead, he gave a short message of unity that fueled the United States for years to come.

One of the most significant conflicts in the film Lincoln is deciding between peace and passing the thirteenth amendment. For this reason, getting the votes on the amendment to pass is difficult because others think if we let this amendment pass the war will not end. With the Civil War going on year four and the union struggling to keep together, Lincoln decides to try and pass the thirteenth amendment and receive support from the House of Representatives. The thirteenth amendment is the abolishment of slavery and involuntary servitude. Lincoln says that the key to peace is passing this amendment. The only person who truly believes in Lincoln’s vision is Thaddeus Stevens, who was a republican. Stevens did not see eye to eye with Lincoln

Lincoln on Leadership is a book that discusses all of Abraham Lincoln’s leadership styles and strategies and talks about how successful he was because of these attributes as our President. The main character of the book is President Abraham Lincoln. He grew up in a poor background and worked his way to where he was as President. Lincoln tried many careers such as a postmaster, a surveyor, and a lawyer so that he could have a life of success. He always learned from his failures and worked very hard to make it in life because he was from such a disadvantaged background. He was devoted to human rights, innovation, and compassion. He was an amazing leader with leadership styles that kept the United States as one. Leaders today should be able to use these guidelines and to try to an effective leader no matter what setting this is in whether it is business, politics, or healthcare.

Abraham Lincoln’s ability to understand human nature helped him administrate his cabinet. Lincoln strategically chose his cabinet in order to get the best solution for every problem. By including the most diversified minds, Lincoln obtained the aptitude to see from both sides of the argument and from there Lincoln was able to opt the best decision for the dilemma. As Commander-in-Chief and no military experience, Lincoln made excellent judgement calls during the war. “A great natural strategist, a better one than any of his generals…” (“Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief”). Lincoln became a scholar of military tactics and with the ability to plan ahead, he mapped out the Union’s success after the war. During the war, Lincoln and Stanton,

Abraham Lincoln was a very ambitious man who was always trying to get new information, or learn some type of new skill. Even when Lincoln was young he had an urge to learn. He moved to Illinois in 1830, where he obtained several jobs that taught him a strong work ethic. Later on he moved to New Salem where he became a businessman, and gained many skills that he would use throughout his life as a political leader. After moving to Springfield, Lincoln’s political career began to take shape. Living on the frontier taught Lincoln a lot, he learned many skills, and different ways to interact with people. From businessman, to politician, to sixteenth president Lincoln's journey to greatness began in the tranquil fields of Illinois. Although he began

I am not a big fan of history movies; I didn’t watch the movie Lincoln when the teacher played it in class. I had to play it at home and pay close attention to be able to write a review about it. I ended up watching it twice for about five hours, and I don’t regret it at all; First, I watched it with a friend of mine and second time on my own; several incidents grabbed my attention. The movie was a significant history drama that narrates some major events in the history of the United States of America. In January 1865, the immensely popular president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln played by Daniel day-Lewis, commenced his second term in office as the war was entering its fourth year. Mr. Lincoln was concerned about the lives that were wasted on both sides and about slavery. Lincoln lost a son named Willie in the beginning of the war. He had to go through numerous arguments with his other son Robbert to convince him to not enlist because his mom couldn’t take any more loss but in the end he enlisted. Mr. Lincoln was in a race against time. He was afraid that peace would be achieved before the thirteenth amendment that would abolish slavery once and forever would be passed. His mission was very difficult and required a lot of convincing. The movie begins by showing a dream seen by the president about the amendment, until the amendment was actually approved by the House of

As a leader, do you feel as though you could unite subordinates, units, organizations, or even a nation? Abraham Lincoln faced the task of reunifying a nation, even during a time of civil war. He was a visionary leader through the war as his actions advocated intellectual stimulation through change management leading to decisions that shaped innovative efforts within the United States Air Force (USAF) today. Additionally, Lincoln was an ethical leader, not for the actions that history books recognize with the freedom of slavery, but more so for the decision to face ethical challenges altering his behaviors through critical thinking. We will look at an example of how he fostered an innovative

Throughout the chapters there are numerous facts on Lincoln’s leadership style. Lincoln had vision which helped him lead by focusing on motivation and honesty. First, Lincoln believed in communication as a form of motivation. The book starts off with a chapter named “Get out of the Office and circulate among groups.”

The film, Lincoln, opens with the Battle of Jenkins Ferry at the Washington Navy Yard. In the next scene, it is a dark and rainy night. Two black soldiers converse with Abraham when two white soldiers join them and start talking about the Gettysburg Address. In the following scene Lincoln and his wife, Mary, are in their bedroom, talking about the probability of the abolishment of slavery, in the push for the Thirteenth Amendment. After giving a short speech, Lincoln and his Secretary of State, Seward, discuss the Thirteenth Amendment. There conversation continues as they reach the White House. Then Mr. and Mrs. Jolly from Missouri enter, and Seward uses them to italicize a point regarding the Thirteenth Amendment. Later that evening, Lincoln discusses with Preston Blair the chance of having a peace negotiation with Richmond and the Thirteenth Amendment. During a cabinet meeting, the discussion included the previous attack on Fort Fisher. After a bit of conversation on the attack, the conversation turned to a discussion about the suggested Thirteenth Amendment. The discussion was composed of numerous protestations from the Secretary of Interior. Later in the afternoon, following the heated discussion that morning, Lincoln, Congressman Ashley, and Seward try to arrange plans to have the Thirteenth Amendment brought up for a fresh vote. To Lincoln’s surprise, Ashley completely opposed the idea,