He had confronted the greatest crisis in American history with a nation torn in two. “Saving the Union, which would have ended the American experience, and eradicating the sinful hypocrisy of slavery gives him the edge for me. Plus, he died for his nation’s sins. He was the last victim of the violence necessary to secure the bond between the states. That makes him all the more heroic.” Holzer says that part of what made Lincoln the country’s greatest president is that he embodied the American Dream. Unlike a wealthy, slaveholding plantation owner such as Washington, Lincoln was born into poverty. “He was not part of the American elite. He wasn’t a military hero. He rose from obscurity to prove that anyone could make it in America.Lincoln’s six-foot, four-inch frame added to his aura, Holzer says. “In a way he was almost mythologically admirable because of his physical attributes. He was one big guy. He’s still the tallest president we’ve ever had. People took to him because, like Washington, he was much bigger than his contemporaries and capable of physical feats, which made him admired by men, who were the voters. Everyone knows that Lincoln was amusing and retold jokes. He was also a lightning rod for people’s anxieties, and by having a sense of humor he helped the country endure. He’s almost a symbol of national endurance by that extra strength and humor.Lincoln also had the skills to deal with a partisan environment that didn’t exist during Washington’s presidency.Lincoln was very adaptable.“He’s still the one, though, who did more than anyone else to end slavery,” Holzer says.Lincoln has his share of critics—some who blame him for moving too impetuously in starting the Civil War and suspending habeas corpus, others who fault him for moving too slowly in abolishing slavery.
I hope this helps. Have a great day.