It is fitting that on his 200th anniversary that we comment on the life of this common man who is a archetypal american who trotted out to support everything from communism to prohibitionism.

I am ambivalent about Abraham Lincoln for the more I read about his life the more perplexed I become.Was Lincoln a racist? If we take his declarations about the blacks we must conclude without any doubt that he was indeed a racist.Was he a wicked man?I am not so sure that an open minded person could reach that conclusion.The man who was underestimated as president ,then turned into an icon at his death still remains a very controversial figure in the history book of this great country.

As president Obama said so eloquently this morning :The man who makes my history and the american history possible deserves our gratitude.Would the United States exist today without the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln?I doubt it very much.They say that the end justifies the mean.If one considers the end result of Abraham Lincoln's presidency it is impossible not to give credit to this great man.From his obscure birth to his shocking death,Abrahma lincoln provided all the ingredients for a myth that grows with each generation,A hardworking ,self taught farm boy grows up to become President is a feat only a few human beings can accomplish.

Nobody is perfect.In analyzing the life of this remarkable man one has to consider the context in which he grew up and the state of the union at his death to measure with impartiality the role that the 16th president of the United states played on the world stage. Thank you president Lincoln for the emancipation of the slaves.You will remain one of the great human beings of this world.