Abraham Lincoln

July 4th 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the United States of America’s Semiquincentennial. To celebrate and commemorate the momentous occasion, Abraham King has written a series of five volumes — the Leadership Series — analyzing in depth and breadth the works of five eminent sons of America.

In writing the series, King’s aim is to galvanize his intended audience — the young men and young women in the American republic and around the world — by drawing their attention to the essential ingredients of ambition, industry, enterprise, duty, honor, sacrifice, discipline, and action. His other objective is to make an attempt at equipping the youth with a firm grip on the evolving state of the world and on the role of our republic’s grand strategy.

The current volume of the Leadership Series focuses on Abraham Lincoln. As President of the United States during a perilous era, Abraham Lincoln’s principal achievements centered on preserving the Union and redefining the nation’s moral and constitutional foundations. He provided steadfast leadership throughout the Civil War, navigating immense political and military challenges to ensure the survival of the United States as a unified republic. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, a transformative measure that declared the freedom of enslaved people in Confederate-held territories and reoriented the war as a struggle for human liberty. Furthermore, he championed the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which ultimately abolished slavery throughout the nation. His presidency also saw the strengthening of federal authority, the promotion of infrastructure and economic modernization, and the reinforcement of democratic ideals during a time of unprecedented national strife.

The speeches and writings of Abraham Lincoln, particularly the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address, encapsulate his profound vision of democracy, equality, and national reconciliation. With eloquence and moral clarity, Lincoln articulated the principles of human dignity and the enduring importance of a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” His Gettysburg Address redefined the Civil War as a test of the nation’s commitment to the founding ideals of liberty and equality. In the Second Inaugural Address, delivered near the end of the war, Lincoln adopted a tone of humility and compassion, calling for “malice toward none” and “charity for all” as the nation moved toward healing. These texts endure as testaments to Lincoln’s intellectual depth, moral resolve, and his unwavering commitment to justice and national unity.

As a tribute to the triumph of democracy, and to the characteristics requisite in exercising leadership to sustain and to make flourish an extraordinary republic, in this volume of the series, Abraham King examines spoken and written works of Abraham Lincoln. King provides introductory essays with contextual background information and his detailed analyses in relation to each major work of Lincoln collected in this volume.