Header image sourced here.
Abraham Lincoln's image rests on his ideology of exceptional compassion.As a leader during time of vast social discord, he is remembered for his vision for compromise through mercy. In the case of pardons for Confederate soldiers, officials, and supporters, Lincoln's intentions were politically founded in his desire for a speedy reconstruction of the Union. Yet in the cases of his dealing with Sioux Indians and Union deserters, Lincoln's pardoning is less obviously used for political purpose. On the contrary, it suggests the overwhelming sympathies of an otherwise rational leader placed in a situation that demanded cruelty from him. In our considering of Lincoln's pardons of Unionists--the origin of the presidential pardon, how he made use of it, and its effects both on his image at the time and the nature of pardoning power in the American presidency today--we explore the conflict prompted by the collision of the grand intentions of the human heart and the reality of reason. We also consider the merits of clemency as it applies to the issues that plague the United States today. Is the presidential pardon our only hope of saving America from the discriminating injustices of its legal code?
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"Give Us Just Another Lincoln," arranged for band, orchestra, mandolin, banjo, and guitar. Words and music by Paul Dresser published by Howley, Haviland & co., New York, c1900. Image sourced here.
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This is a final project completed by Halley McArn on December 15th, 2015 for the Brown University course taught by Dr. Michael Vorenberg entitled Abraham Lincoln: Historical and Cultural Perspectives. This website is intended as a suggestive learning tool--that is, its primary purpose is to lead the reader to new sources of information that will in turn allow them to form new opinions, explore different arguments, and begin their own journey into the weight of the implications of the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. This website does not in any way aim to provide answers but to provoke questions and provide the resources for the exploration of these questions.