Challenge, Crisis, and Comparison: Lincoln and Obama

• In Event: Scholar to Scholar II
  In Paper Session: Abraham Lincoln’s Bicentennial: Enduring Legacy for America

Abstract

Although the country was not at war when Abraham Lincoln ascended to the presidency, it was well-known that many in the South saw his election as a threat to their way of life. Thus, Lincoln took the helm of a country on the brink of deadly conflict. Barack Obama was also sworn into the presidency as the country faces great crises included war and economic turmoil. Obama has often commented that he holds Lincoln as one of his favorite presidents, even using the Lincoln Bible for his inauguration. This paper is a comparative analysis of the first Lincoln inaugural and Obama’s inaugural which attempts to determine how deeply the admiration and emulation of Lincoln will run within the Obama administration.

Authors

• Nicki Michalski, Lamar University

• Michelle Davis, Lamar University