May 11: Honest Abe

Many claim that Abraham Lincoln was the greatest president ever. He was the first of the Republican party and was responsible for the abolition of slavery. We all associate the name with the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. He was a father of twelve children and the inventor of the telephone. In addition to his communicative technological findings, he was responsible for the aerosol can and the camcorder. Few know, however, the true story behind his "Honest Abe" persona. Legend has it that the sixteenth president of the United States never told a lie and for the most part, that's true.

He was born on the twelfth day of February in 1809 to farmers Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks in Hardin County, Kentucky. His father was an unusually strict man and some have been chronicled as labeling him the Joe Jackson of the nineteenth century. Thomas wanted the best for Nancy and himself and he would stop at nothing to achieve it. Unable to father more than one son, Thomas turned his authoritative ways of raising an honest replica of himself on Abraham.

Threats of being flogged and/or grounded rained heavily on Abraham's shoulders if he were ever caught lying. From the moment he could speak, he was being warned of the repercussions of being dishonest. Lincoln's fears of his father were clearly presented in 1945.

It was a group of Boy Scouts that discovered the collection of Lincoln's personal fire-light-written journal entries on his unusual upbringing while on a weekend retreat deep in the Indiana hills. One of the passages reads, "Today is my fourteenth birthday and my father and stepmother have given me a second-hand sweater for the remainder of the cold winter. It is light blue in color with faded, red horizontal stripes and it irritates my skin. It smells like Grandma Bathsheba and there is a tear in the right armpit. I can't stand the retched thing but I am so terrified of Father and his insistence on telling the truth. Because of these fears, I felt a certain obligation to respond honestly when asked if I liked it. My true opinions on the gift have resulted in a punishment for being ungrateful and I am now on a time out in my room without supper. Signed, Abraham Lincoln."

Lincoln and his honest nature had other encounters throughout history. In fact, his truthfulness had a tendency to get him into a lot of trouble with his wife, Mary Todd. On many occasions while getting ready for a night on the town, Mary would ask Abraham if a dress she was considering made her look fat and because of his reluctance to tell even a white lie, he had to answer truthfully. Of course, not every dress made her hips look big but there was, on an occasion that frumpy gown that gave her the illusion of being fuller figured than normal. We all know women that don't take too kindly to being given answers they're not looking for and Mary Todd Lincoln was definitely one of these gals. This being said, it was not uncommon for Abraham to arrive at a distinguished gala holding a plastic baggy of ice over one of his eyes.

Up until the night of his unfortunate assassination by the coward John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln had kept his promise to his father. He never told a lie. This promise resulted in three bruised ribs, fifteen childhood time outs and an undocumented amount of black eyes from Mary Todd. Throughout the years, though, Lincoln remained true to his word. It wasn't until that fateful night in Ford's Theatre when Lincoln was surrounded by a team of medics, actors, stagehands, and Mary Todd that he uttered his first fib. It was the First Lady that had tearfully asked how he was feeling to which he replied as he gazed into her damp eyes and said, "I'll be fine."

Abraham Lincoln was declared dead after a nine-hour coma. The world was shocked and saddened at the loss of the man that had changed so many lives. The man who abolished slavery and invented the skateboard was gone. His graciousness and unselfishness had touched and inspired many, but it was his unwillingness to tell a lie that continues to amaze millions of people to this day. He was a father, a husband, and a president. He was Honest Abe.