In the spirit of “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” a hit game show that challenges adults to answer grade-school questions, I find myself wondering if the average adult remembers important lessons learned about the historical figures who helped shape our great nation. Recently, I was pondering Abraham Lincoln. Hopefully, we all remember that Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president, delivered the Gettysburg Address, and signed, by Executive Order, the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, however, my thoughts flow beyond historical events and more toward who he was as a person. How did he garner such profound influence, which lingers in our collective conscience, even 155 years after his death?

I had the good fortune of discussing this topic with Dr. Ronnie Mincey, Union County Public Schools Federal Programs Supervisor and Lincoln enthusiast, to get his thoughts. Mincey recalls when he was in the third-grade reading “The Man on the Penny” (Ralph F. Robinett, 1966) and being enthralled! He then checked a Lincoln biography out from the library and read it an estimated fifty times that year!

Mincey shared that Lincoln was fascinated with George Washington. Lincoln had been particularly influenced by “The Life of Washington” (Parson Mason Locke Weems, 1800), a biography of George Washington. Weems’ book regaled its readers with anecdotal tales of Washington’s life, including the famous quote, “I cannot tell a lie!” regarding the chopping down of a cherry tree. History, however, cannot verify many of the “virtues and exploits” as told by Weems. As it turns out, the book painted an exaggerated—almost mythological—caricature of America’s first president.

We think of Lincoln as a great orator and magnificent speechwriter. History, however, shows us glimpses of instances where he was a man of few words. The National Archives (www.archives.gov), a virtual treasure trove of history, contains a letter Lincoln penned to his wife Mary on June 24, 1864, which reads: “Mrs. A. Lincoln Boston, Mass. All well, and very warm—Tad and I have been to Gen. Grant’s army—Returned yesterday safe and sound. A. Lincoln”

Mincey finds it ironic that history seems to have repeated itself by creating another larger-than-life character by augmenting the already noble story of Abraham Lincoln, especially by attributing virtues and quotes to him. Many episodes cannot be verified, such as the story about him once having walked a mile to return one penny that he overcharged a woman. I guess when a great quote sticks without the author attached, it’s easy to credit it to Lincoln. So much so that you will often find humorous memes “quoting” Lincoln on outlandish topics, such as appropriate “online etiquette.” Spoiler alert: President Lincoln never spoke of Facebook or the Internet or even television!

As a fun (definitely unofficial) polling exercise, I asked my Facebook friends what stands out in their minds when they think of Abe Lincoln. Bearded, depression, family tragedies, humor, insecurity, intelligence, passion, strength of character, and wit, are words about Lincoln’s life my polled friends shared. One friend issued the following challenge: Google “Abraham Lincoln quotes” and see if you look away before an hour has elapsed. A favorite quote displayed in the home of Rev. Phil and Carole Norman is "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go."

Wrapping up our chat, Dr. Mincey shared the rarely discussed fact that Lincoln was widely despised during his presidency; yet he was instantly catapulted to beloved celebrity status after his assassination. One can imagine that Booth’s cry ”The South is avenged!” after assassinating Lincoln was an emotional battle cry for northerners. However, southerners had heard Lincoln’s call to be welcomed back into the Union as brothers in the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction in 1863. On that day, both sides lost a leader who cared deeply for them. Lincoln’s ultimate goal of preserving the Union was realized both politically and emotionally with that shared tragic loss.