Lincoln Might Have Been a Jerk

The other day I was looking through an old history textbook of mine wondering if anyone would pay anything at a garage sale for it and I came to the part of the book that talked about Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. Now I won’t get into the politics of how the history of minorities is grossly misrepresented, but skimming through that section I realized all the book talked about was how great Lincoln was. It talked about his early life of self-education through reading books. It also talked about his campaign for presidency and how he was known for saying more with less words. It talked about his level head during the Civil War, and it also talked about him freeing the slaves. Now we all know how his presidency ended, which the book sort of glossed over with a quick explanation of John Wilkes Booth and one night at Ford’s Theater. However, I question what would have happened if Lincoln had been able to continue his presidency? It is a running joke in the modern era about how inept our presidents have been over the past 3 decades or so, but what if Lincoln had really run his full course before his surprise at the show that night? What if, had Lincoln survived, he showed his true colors and just ran out of good ideas? Moreover, is it entirely possible that Lincoln was a complete jerk? What if, behind closed doors, Lincoln was a stiff with little character and an attitude that only Mary Todd could put up with? I don’t find it completely strange to think about a “Great” like Lincoln having a rough day or two and really ostracizing a few White House staff members. I mean the man was a wrestler in his younger life. Even the most level headed grappler will tell you they have had a moment where they thought about knocking someone’s block off. Perhaps Lincoln was no different. I guess we will never know. Only the descendants of his close personal relatives and friends have that insight. Maybe a 2-century old tell-all will set us straight. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.