The Legacy of Lincoln's Leadership
             It would be hard to imagine that Abraham Lincoln could have foreseen the greatness of his life or the tragedy of his death in his meager candle lit log cabin as a child. A seed was planted in that backwoods Kentucky cabin that would grow to be one of the greatest American leaders in history. President Lincoln cultivated his vision of American freedom and unity into the cracked soil of a divided nation in face of war-often with the lack of popular and political support. Great men are revealed by trying times, and Lincoln would prove to a nation that he was among the finest leaders in the most trying times America has seen before or since. Richard L. Daft, author of Leadership: Theory and Practice, defines leadership as "an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their shared purposes" (Daft, Pg 7). President Lincoln transcends this definition by implementing a vision for a nation progress that effected radical change on Americans with disparate views on the issues of slavery and civil concord.
             Lincoln's Challenges as president began before he was even sworn in on March 14, 1861, by the man who, ironically, was responsible for much of the national tension in the air, Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In the 1856 Chief Justice Taney ruled on the Dred Scott Case whose controversial verdict had national implications and caused tension in the political theater. Dred Scott, a black Missouri slave, sued to prove that he and his family were entitled to their freedom; the Supreme Court ruling said that no blacks had a right to American citizenship and, resultantly, no right to sue in federal courts. The ruling conflicted with previous law and created a rift in thought on already delicate national slavery provisions. When Lincoln was confirmed to have won the election the Southern States reacted to the possible th...