A Politician Who Belongs to the Ages

Lincoln did more than utter eloquent addresses, or emancipate three million slaves, or make himself something out of nothing. He navigated the turbulent waters of a democracy that was being ripped apart by civil war, brought that war to a successful conclusion, and cajoled friends and enemies alike into following his direction. "The Tycoon," as his secretary John Hay called him in the summer of 1863, "is managing this war, … foreign relations, and planning a reconstruction of the Union, all at once. I never knew with what tyrannous authority he rules the Cabinet, till now. The most important things he decides and there is no cavil."

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