Brad Cunningham of the Republican Town Committee presents Morgan School graduate, Aubrey Carbone with a $500 scholarship for her award winning essay.
The essay question: Abraham Lincoln was a member of the Republican Party. Would he be a Republican today and why; and if not, to what party might he belong and why.
Aubrey's essay.:
Through my research on this widely debated topic, I have found historical facts that support the claim that Abraham Lincoln would be a Republican in today’s political environment. That statement in itself is a heavy and a heated topic but can be proven by comparing his beliefs to ours. Abraham Lincoln is thought by many to be the greatest American President. His strong stand and ability to make decisions took our country from troubled times to peace. It is important when making this argument to understand exactly where Abraham Lincoln came from. If you are wondering why this is important you will see that it was how and where he grew up that influenced his opinions and policies.
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a one-room log cabin. Both of his parents were farmers and were not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. They belonged to a Baptist church which had high moral standards. Among these were the beliefs that it was wrong to consume alcohol or own slaves. In 1816 Lincoln’s family was forced to leave their home due personal opposition to slavery. Two years later, when he was 9 years old, Lincoln’s mother died from milk sickness and his father remarried. In 1830 the family moved again, this time to Macon Country, Illinois because of the fear of a new outbreak of the dreaded milk sickness. Now Abraham Lincoln was 22, went out on his own and self-educated 18 months and became a successful lawyer. In November of 1842 he married and started a family. He had two boys, but only one survived to be an adult. In 1841 Lincoln was elected into the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for two years. In May of 1860 Lincoln ran for the Presidency and, on November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States.
Now that we understand a little bit better about where Abraham Lincoln came from, it will be easier to understand his beliefs and views as a Republican. The first similarity is that he believed in the ability of an American to achieve success through hard work. He is proof of his own belief because he started out dirt poor and with no education and, through trials and tribulations; he was able to become the President of the United States. Lincoln saw his father forced to move to avoid costly property taxes. He recognized that political powers tried to invade the life of a working man and take what was rightly his. This is similar to the Republican view today against raising taxes on home owners and workers and the government’s right to seize personal property for use by private business. Republicans of today believe that money and possessions earned through hard work should not be taken away through taxes. If Abraham Lincoln’s father had lived today, the Republican appointed members of the Supreme Court would side with his right to keep his property.
Another point is that Abraham Lincoln favored strong action without compromise. He wanted to uphold his beliefs and principals and he wasn’t going to negotiate with anyone. One prime example of this was the Civil War, which was fought over slavery. Lincoln was expressing his religious views that no man should be kept as a slave. He refused to separate religion from government on this issue. Under President Lincoln war was waged to support those beliefs and there was no room for compromise. We are currently in the battle over health reform and, just as President Abraham Lincoln favored strong action and no compromise, the Republicans refuse to give in to government control over our right to choose a doctor. Republicans will not make a deal with the Democrats because the issue is serious and important to everyone. Many of the arguments on health care reform also mention abortion. Republicans today feel that abortion is morally wrong and must be illegal. Like Lincoln, religious views are important in government.
Republican President Bush sent troops to fight for democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those countries were responsible for violence against our country. Democrats have argued to give up the fight and let dictators terrorize our nation. Republicans won’t budge. In the end, historians will look back at this war and agree that it was important to the safety and strength of the United States. Lincoln did the same thing with the Civil War. He did not want to see anyone killed but he knew that war was the only way to save our country. Many people argued against him and tried to compromise. We look back today and see that he was right.
Republicans believe in technology and support the NASA space program. Many of the inventions that we use today (instant foods, blankets) came from things that were made for the astronauts. Lots of weapons and communications devices were made from NASA’s discoveries. Republicans see the big picture when it comes to space exploration and vote to make sure it continues. This is much like Lincoln’s support in the growth of cities. He saw the technology of factories as necessary for America to be strong throughout the world. Both Lincoln and today’s Republican Party encourage the United States to grow, develop and stay ahead of our enemies.
Abraham Lincoln supported farmers. His family farmed and knew the value of the land. Sometimes this ideal seems foreign in this day in age, but it isn’t to the Republican Party. Republicans support allowing farmers a voice in government decisions on agriculture and the environment. Democrats prefer to see farmers silenced and decisions made by people who have never worked the land. Republicans think that a farmer, who relies on the environment for a living, is qualified to suggest ways to improve pollution and still get the most food from the land. Democrats try to stop entire farm industries with ridiculous rules and restrictions that are decided by people who live in cities and work in offices.
Abraham Lincoln was the type of politician who spoke less and did more. He showed Americans that his actions were what were important. In both of his Presidential elections he chose to give fewer speeches that his opponents. Instead, he put his promises on paper and sent them around the country. After the election, people held him to his words. Unlike other politicians, he didn’t change his promises whenever it suited him. His approach caused him to be re-elected. Today the Republican Party puts its promises on the internet for everyone to see. The website is simple to use and has all of the information in plain language. The Democratic Party has a website that is hard to understand. They don’t allow links for easy reading, the print is very small and the language used is confusing. A voter only needs to read some of Lincoln’s speeches and the Republican Party platform to see that they think alike.
Lincoln was a family man. He was a supporter of family values. He did not destroy the families of the south after the war was over. He allowed them to return to their homes and farms even though he could have taken that property away from every confederate soldier. Republicans act the same way today. After our army conquered Sadam Hussein’s army, our soldiers began rebuilding Iraq and making things better for the families who live there. That policy was completely because of President Bush. He was willing to keep our troops in Iraq to protect those families and help them to create a free country for the future. Democrats, today, want to leave now and let the Iraqi families suffer.
Lincoln was a humble man who lived a simple life even though he was the President of the United States. He did not dress in expensive clothing. At the Ford Theater museum you can see how average he was because of the suit he wore the night he was assassinated. Republicans are not willing to spend taxpayer’s money on personal luxury. The Democrats are very much the opposite of Lincoln. Party Chairperson, Nancy Pelosi, acts as if she is royalty and wastes our money every day. She flies on a private jet so that she can go home for the weekend and check on her domestic servants. If a Republican did that he or she would be kicked out of the party. Lincoln would not like Pelosi.
Finally, and maybe most important, is Abraham Lincoln’s inclusion of God in government. He was a Christian and referred to God in many of his speeches. I am including a copy of the Gettysburg Address to illustrate this point:
“ Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate...we can not consecrate...we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Today Republicans argue that religion has a place in our government and God can be mentioned in schools. I have included a portion of the Republican Party platform that shows this position:
“Our Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion and forbids any religious test for public office, and it likewise prohibits the establishment of a state-sponsored creed. The balance between those two ideals has been distorted by judicial rulings which attempt to drive faith out of the public arena. The public display of the Ten Commandments does not violate the U.S. Constitution and accurately reflects the Judeo-Christian heritage of our country. We support the right of students to engage in student-initiated, student-led prayer in public schools, athletic events, and graduation ceremonies, when done in conformity with constitutional standards.
We affirm every citizen’s right to apply religious values to public policy and the right of faith-based organizations to participate fully in public programs without renouncing their beliefs, removing religious objects or symbols, or becoming subject to government-imposed hiring practices. Forcing religious groups to abandon their beliefs as applied to their hiring practices is religious discrimination. We support the First Amendment right of freedom of association of the Boy Scouts of America and other service organizations whose values are under assault, and we call upon the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reverse its policy of blacklisting religious groups which decline to arrange adoptions by same-sex couples. Respectful of our nation’s diversity in faith, we urge reasonable accommodation of religious beliefs in the private workplace. We deplore the increasing incidence of attacks against religious symbols, as well as incidents of anti-Semitism on college campuses.”
Lincoln made the same arguments through his words and actions.
As you can now see, President Abraham Lincoln had the same beliefs during his time that the Republican Party has today.
Sincerely,
Aubrey Carbone
The Republican Town Committee will meet on July 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rose Room of the Andrews Memorial Town Hall. Visitors and their comments are always welcome. For questions, contact secretary JoAnn Dolan at 860-669-5049 or e-mail haldolan@sbcglobal.net
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