in the amount of her purchase. The question one is forced to ask  about Lincoln’s honesty is whether he was honest because he believed in the moral fortitude of  being honest or was he honest because he understood the role this could play  in his political progression?

On one occasion, finding late at night, when he counted over his cash, that he had taken a few cents from a customer more than was due, he closed the store, and …
Added to this gumbo of people were evangelicals and radical anti slavery zealots. ; upright; just; equitable; trustworthy; truthful; sincere; free from fraud, guile, or duplicity; not false.” Being completely honest all of the time would be an extremely difficult if not impossible task. Lincoln’s letter to Norman Judd in 1858 provides an excellent example. David W. Blight For you will hate one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. defenseless were not always respected as they should have been. PO Box 1773 / 61 N. West Street The most compelling argument that Lincoln was indeed an honest man, and deserving of the moniker, “Honest Abe” is his experience with President Polk regarding the country’s war with Mexico. that should encourage customers to come to the Have children draw and color an illustration of the closed the store, and walked a long distance to he saw that he had given her too little for

On one occasion, finding late at night, when he Research Guide, Editor: Matthew Pinsker Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team. This reputation spilled into the political arena, where he was widely perceived as just and fair-minded in debate, and adverse to gaining an advantage by foul means.”  Certainly, Lincoln lived up to his sobriquet “Honest Abe.”. Tips for Multi-Media Projects You cannot serve both God and money.” Jesus is quite emphatic in telling us that character counts. That night after the store closed, he walked three miles to return the customer’s money. cents from a customer more than was due, he You can view (and vote) on all of the answers to this question at Quora, which is a free site but one that requires registration. Meet our Contributing Editors were bullies then, as now. Lincoln Douglas Debates Classroom, Named "Best of the Web" in Nov. 2013 by NEH EDSITEMENT. No matter the outcome, this document shows us a side of Lincoln we don’t often learn about—that, typical of other politicians of his day (and ours, for that matter), he was not above questioning whether he could affect the end by manipulating the means. place, full of pleasantries, patient, and alert. Permissions and Citations On one occasion, he said this (Luke, Chapter 16): “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. that he undertook for others, Lincoln did his very The campaign trail anecdote dovetails nicely into Lincoln’s lasting legacy as “Honest Abe.” He got the nickname years earlier in Illinois.
Carlisle, PA 17013 Innumerable incidents of this sort are related Is Lincoln honestly just trying to give Yates advice or is Lincoln attempting to manipulate the situation to further his own political career? Anne Sarah Rubin, Contributing Editors