The uniqueness of Lincoln's beard

[L Verge]

I just received a message that had this quote from Martin Luther King. I had not seen it before, and it struck me that it spoke to this topic of Lincoln's uniqueness:

"We are not makers of history. We are made by history."

Some might argue that Lincoln made history because his election to the Presidency caused the Civil War and then saved the Union. I prefer to think that his political maneuvers on the issue of slavery were shaped by what had transpired before he assumed the office and continued to shape him as a person and President. Likewise, the fact that he had to deal with the Civil War created the man that has turned into such an icon for our country.

I'm not sure that Lincoln would be considered unique (or even have become President) without the forces of history and society that had already passed before he entered the political arena. Some of those influences also worked against him in the eyes of many during that period.