Abraham Lincoln's Team Of Rivals By Doris Keearns Lincoln

After reading the article Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, I feel that Abraham Lincoln’s finest qualities were empathy, magnanimity and his Self-Control, which proved that he was one of the best presidents in the American history. From being an American statesman and lawyer from Springfield, Lincoln turned out to be the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln served from March 4,1861 until his assassination on April 15, 1865. From the 4 years that Lincoln served, he made a big impact in the world and had many people devastated by his death.
Lincoln’s empathy consisted of one of his finest qualities. He had the ability of putting himself in the same position as his colleagues to understand their motives and their desires. Lincoln did not only show empathy for those who were close to him, but also in the political world. For example, Lincoln didn’t agree with the South about slavery, he felt empathy for the slaves rather than agreeing with the South. In the article in states “They are just what we would be in their situation”(Kearns Goodwin). Meaning that he thought slavery was useless because if it were …show more content…
Lincoln was definitely not the type of person to get revenge or to get even with anybody, he wouldn’t even hold grudges towards the people who have caused him any type of pain. Lincoln said, “ No man resolved to make the most of himself has time to waste on personal contention” ( Kearns Goodwin). This quote means that Lincoln had no time to waste when he is trying to make the most of himself and to keep his good reputation. For example Lincoln was disrespected by Edwin Stanton but he wouldn’t let it affect him professionally, instead he would put the problem aside and move on. This is a good quality to have as a president and just in general because people who set aside their personal issues and put their professional life first will get further in