Why does Lincoln still matter?

[John W]

Lincoln was our most hated president and our most beloved. He made bad decisions and appointments and great decisions and appointments. He was a man of humble beginning, who became an icon.
The Civil War was fought for simple reasons, and for very complicated reasons, for noble and for base motives. In it both North and South were at times the victor and the vanquished, the villain and the victim.
It is important to study Lincoln, both the man and the icon, to better understand who we are and who we want to be.