Shortly after the Union’s victory in Gettysburg on June 3, 1863, there was a lot of rumors that President Abraham Lincoln was secretly rejecting peace proposals by the Confederacy.

At this point, the Civil War had been going on for a little over two years and had recently surpassed a death-toll of 200,000 soldiers.

And as much as Lincoln wanted the war to end, he knew that accepting a peace proposal would require him and the Union to throw away everything they’ve been fighting for.

The abolition of slavery.

And with the success of Chattanooga a few months later, it seemed that the war was finally coming to an end. But with Confederate General’s Lee and Bragg still commanding a force of nearly 300,000 soldiers, there was still work to be done.

Which leads us to the point to where peace rumors began floating around, and with the upcoming Presidential election, Lincoln knew the war had to come to an end if he had any chance of reelection.

To give you some clarification, these peace proposals were only rumors. At no point did Lincoln even consider sitting down with Jefferson Davis—President of the Confederacy—and conform to his stance on slavery.

But Lincoln knew something had to be done, and soon. Now, he was experiencing constant criticism on his choice of enlisting black soldiers, enforcing a federal draft, poor handling of the war effort, and any and all military setbacks that people believed if didn’t happen, the war would already be over.

Despite the constant hate he received, he knew the right thing to do was finish what they started and end the war for the abolition of slavery.

And so for about two weeks, Lincoln wrote a letter that was to be published and printed for mass distribution throughout the North that explained why he chose to continue with the war.

After completing an early draft late one night, Lincoln began to walk around the White House in search of someone who would listen to his address. Entering the library, Lincoln found William Stoddard—Journalist and Inventor.

Lincoln asked him to sit down in his office and listen to his speech to see if he could “find any fault with it.” But Stoddard was reluctant.

He told the President that he didn’t really feel comfortable criticizing his words, as he’s already a very eloquent speaker. But Lincoln didn’t want to hear it.

“Yes, you will,” Lincoln good-humoredly replied. “Everybody else will. It’s just what I want you to do.”

Ten days later, that very letter would be published for millions to see and would go on to receive excellent reviews and gain approval across the Union as to why the war would go on.

Despite the criticism and the pressure he was experiencing in ending the war, Lincoln still stood up for what was right on a number of occasions. And even if he knew he would receive backlash for what he’d do next, he’d still do it because he knew it was for the greater good.

Fifty-seven years after his assassination, The Lincoln Memorial was built in his name to commemorate his leadership and cement his legacy as one of the greatest Presidents in our nations history.

And it was all because he didn’t listen to the criticism that was thrown at him. He did what he believed was right not only for himself, but for the good of his country.

So whoever it might be, let them criticize you.

Let them talk shit behind your back.

Because think of it this way: if they’re talking about you, it must mean you’re doing something right.

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - I’m still reading Doris Goodwin’s biography of Abraham Lincoln titled Team Of Rivals. An in-depth timeline of Lincoln’s leadership throughout the Civil War and his team of advisors that supported him along the way.

Quote Of The Week - “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” — Mark Twain