However, not everyone realizes the importance of his work beyond the biggest contribution - abolition of slavery. (Another quite irritating fact is that some people prefer to think of him just as a guy depicted on the 5-dollar banknote). There are so many incredible things about 16th President.
His captivating rhetorical style is something to be admired. His work ethic was insane. His far-reaching ideas even today seems like something we need to take notice.
This little article we're going to share with you some facts about Abraham Lincoln and his works.
What did Abraham Lincoln do?
For starters, here's the short list of all good thing Abe the 5-buck man did to the mankind and
American people in particular:
- he initiated first of the Homestead Acts which allowed poor people to obtain lands - because you know all men are equal and deserve to sustain themselves without dependence on somebody else;
- he established Department of Agriculture as we know it;
- he signed Morrill Land-Grant Act. That led to creation of numerous universities around the country. Because y`know - everybody needs that funny little thing called education, because education makes you better and lets you make big things;
- Revenue Act revolutionized taxation and led to the progressive tax system we have today;
-
Emancipation Proclamation was the beginning of the end of the slavery. It was followed by the enactment of the
Thirteenth Amendment which is the reason slavery is not a thing;
-
National Banking Act established the foundation of the modern National Banking system.
What kind of a man was Abraham Lincoln?
It is easy to imagine the man considered to be a savior of the nation as some sort a messianic figure. But
there is more than meets the eye. Abraham Lincoln wasn't just a guy who came out of nowhere and got the things rolling. He came a long way
from the bottom to the top and he knew that nothing comes without an effort.
He had almost none of formal education (about one year total), but he spend a lot of time
studying, consuming unimaginable amounts of information in order to get the understanding of the subjects he explored. Here's what his
advice written in letter to Isham Reavis: "Get the books, and read and study them till, you understand them in their principal
features."
And by that he gained a reputation among his colleagues as a dedicated man whose words mean a lot.
If there's one thing that can describe his approach to work and study - that might be this little quote
from Notes for a Law Lecture, dated July 1, 1850: "Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today".
What we can learn from Abraham Lincoln?
It is a well-known fact that Abe was a bit mental when it came to work - after all his intentions were to make difference and not just sit around and smile and he always had a lot of troubles with getting things done. But he had a method of sorts that helped him to go through anything that happened with style. As he himself once said: "I will prepare and someday my chance will come".Here are some basic everyday tips from Mr. Lincoln:
Make a lot of notes
Like a lot of notes. Abraham was a fan of writing things down. He was scribbling notes about everything - books, clouds, people's faces,
random thoughts, new words, old words, etc. He did it because anything could give him an idea for the future. His archive got so many of
them we're still discovering something new about the man and his worldview (yikes!). Aside from that Mr. Lincoln had very interesting
method of keeping his notes with him - he kept them inside his large top hat. Considering that nowadays everyone seems to be a little bit
obsessed with documenting anything - I wonder why top hats are still out of fashion.
Read a lot, learn a lot
Abraham Lincoln was one of the largest consumers of printed word that have ever lived. He was reading everything, he took extensive
notes, he wanted to know more. Because it was the only way for him to move forwards, to evolve, to get new ideas. Nice habit, to say the
least.
It takes an effort to get something
I don't think we need to explain this one. Abe once said: "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who
hustle." In order to get something in a satisfying way you need to try hard without attempting to take an easiest way possible. Your
interest is in the long term results, not the short term. And don't forget to have fun. Don't take yourself too seriously - you're only
human. A joke can be a game-changer.
Never mind the opinions
As you know - there are many rules you need to follow to get even. There's code of honor, dress code, grammar rules (OK, this one is
necessary). Need to do certain things can be overwhelming. Lots of other people opinions can seriously affect your work. If you ignore it,
if you don't submit to the popular opinion - you're going to get a headache. How to deal with it? Ignore it. Instead of worrying about
naysayers - do things. Live without fear and brush off the criticism. All those pesky formalities will fall in their respective places
later.What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments. Don't forget to like, share and subscribe.
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