LINCOLN SIGNED DISCHARGE NOTE DATED 1864. Abraham Lincoln’s legacy is based on his momentous achievements: he successfully waged a political struggle and civil war that preserved the Union, ended slavery, and created the possibility of civil and social freedom for African Americans. However, his assassination prevented him from overseeing the reconstruction of the Union he had helped save. The assassination also had the effect of turning Lincoln into a martyr of almost mythological dimensions. As Edwin Stanton remarked when Lincoln died, “Now he belongs to the ages,” and Lincoln has not lacked for idolaters who view him as an almost supernatural representation of American genius. It is much more realistic to see Lincoln as a practical genius. Temperamentally, he was humane, tolerant, and patient. But he also had an extraordinary ability see events clearly and adapt to them, responding decisively when necessary. Above all, there is his evolution on civil rights. He began the Civil War with thoughts only of restoring the Union but ended up committing the nation to freedom for African-Americans. One of the great unanswerable questions in American history centers on how our nation’s social trajectory might have changed had Lincoln lived to serve out his second term. This item has been proffesionally custom matted and framed and comes with a letter of authenticity issued by Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators along with the GFA guarantee of authenticity.

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