Analysis Of Melvin E Bradford's 'Remembering Who We Are'

Not Who You Believe Him To Be President Lincoln is viewed as one of America’s greatest presidents. Although this is believed to be true, that is not the case. President Lincoln had many faults within his term, that started right before the Civil War. In the story Remembering Who We Are: Observations of a Southern Conservative written by Melvin E. Bradford, talks about five keys points as to why Abraham Lincoln was not America’s greatest president. Starting with Lincoln’s well known legacy; his name was simply just that, but without the help of others in his life he would of been no one. Sad to say that Lincoln’s own legacy did not belong to him alone. Even though he did not owe his whole legacy to himself, he did own the fact of his stance

Although Paludan says that Lincoln supported the freeing of the slaves because in doing so it fixed the Union. Which leads to the next point made by Bradford on Lincoln’s lack of respect for the nation’s Negro people whether they be free or enslaved. Paludan argues that Lincoln, “appealing to the fears we have, manipulating them to win office or pass laws or achieve another goal, does not so much reflect who we are as in fact it creates who we are. Which Bradford states is, “a large part of the complaint against Lincoln as a political precedent for later declensions from the example of the Fathers has to do with his expansion of the powers of the presidency and his alter the basis for the Federal Union”(248). Last, but not least is how Lincoln ran the political economy, and his management of the commercial and business life of part of

As Paludan puts it Lincoln, “ preserved the unity of the nation both in size and structure” and he continue to say, “because of Lincoln four million African Americans gained options beyond a life of slavery for themselves and their children”(242). Which I can agree with, but there is more to this story than Paludan is telling. Lincoln is perceived as a hero, but as Bradford has stated that, “the measure of his importance is that he was the heart of the major political events of his ear” and furthering this statement by saying, “the major charges advanced here, if proven, are sufficient enough to impeach the most famous of public men”(246). With in saying so Bradford is calling out Lincoln on his forced changes made as president made during this era. Which is agreed upon due to looking at most events that took place during Lincoln’s term; He always had a hand in the situation before they had become a major