The Paradox of Saving the Union

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."

President Abraham Lincoln authored these words in a letter to Horace Greely during the height of the American Civil War. Lincoln personally was fighting to save the United States from remaining a divided country; eleven states had already seceded from the union and several other border states that were tempted to leave because of slavery. President Lincoln was a member of the newly founded Republican Party; a party founded a few years earlier under the main platform of the abolition of slavery. Lincoln had strong personal view against slavery, but he like the founding fathers of the nation, understood that if the nation was non-existent, then no Americans would have a chance at freedom. Therefore, Lincoln was charged with "leading through paradox" during his presidency.

The definition of paradox comes two Greek words, para, which means "beyond," and doxa, which means belief (Yip, 2010). Literally meaning "beyond belief," a paradox refers to dealing with contradictory elements that are present at the same time in a situation. Leaders are often presented with contradictions; the ability to navigate them is a mark of exemplary leadership (Yip, 2010). President Lincoln had the paradox presented where some people in his nation were free while others were enslaved. He could not free the enslaved because the country would fracture. Several of the states that remained in the Union; Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, would likely leave and join the confederacy if their slaves were taken away. This presented another paradox for Lincoln; people were also considered property. Lincoln attempted to lead through this paradox by providing an innovative idea, giving compensation compensation to slave owners for the slaves. Paradoxes can generate innovation, and a plan to purchase the slaves was started in Delaware, but the policy ultimately was unsuccessful. Instead of achieving success with the innovation, the nation continued in a deadly, divisive war. Lincoln then used improvisation, a practice described by Yip (2010) as "the capacity to act and learn through paradox." Given the opportunity to finally outline the evils of slavery without extending the war, Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, a document that outlawed slavery in the American South, an area that was now operating as a separate nation. The proclamation explained the benefits of everyone becoming free. The way that the document was written allowed for appeasement of the northern states that maintained their presence in the union. Once the war became a fight over outlawing the subjugation of humans, Lincoln could claim moral authority for the war, leading to better recruitment of and better resolve of union soldiers.

Lincoln was presented the ultimate paradox for a President; how can you have a free country when some of your citizens are enslaved. Lincoln lead through the paradox displaying exemplary leadership, first by using innovation, later by using improvisation. When we are presented with our own paradoxes in life, it is important for us to follow Lincoln's example of how to lead through our problems. Because of his leadership, Lincoln was able to save our beloved paradox of a nation, the United States.