Was Abraham Lincoln a retard?

Question

He had facial deformities, which are a know trait of retardation, and was kicked in the head by a horse, which could account for his retardation. Some say it's no wonder he got to be President of the USA, as he was probably much smarter than the average American.

Answer 1

Lincoln was not retarded, quite the contrary Prez. Lincoln was a lawyer before becoming a congressman. he did suffer from depression due to the loss of his son, as well as the country in turmoil during his presidency. as for the facial deformities Lincoln as mention before was kicked by a horse when he was younger, as well as a little known fact of having small pox during his early years as president. Mr. Lincoln is a great example of a "self made" man having came from the humblest of beginnings losing his mother at an early age and teaching him self to read.

Answer 2

When Lincoln was about 10 years of age he was kicked in the head by his horse. He was unconscious over night. In latter years he would sometimes refer to this by saying, "apparently killed for a time."

His face was not deformed and neither was he retarded. What his intelligence was relative to others would be purely conjecture. Even so, he was clearly an individual who could focus on a specific goal and concentrate on achieving it. He also had a touch with people and could relate to the pressures of common life. While he obviously had a great deal of humor (referring to his many homey stories), he suffered from depression throughout his life.

There is little doubt that he can be credited as being the driving force behind protecting the Union as the sovereign entity with in the United States. In this effort he reflected the views of such as Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, Andrew Jackson and others. On the other hand, his concern to ensure the primacy of the federal government relative to State and individual Rights ran in the face of such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton and John C. Calhoun.

Being President and Commander in Chief during the Civil War was far more taxing on the president than a similar position today. Few Presidents of our time would visit battle fields and be so deeply involved in the selection of Commanding Generals and directing at least some actions. This demanded a President of intelligence and focus and one which could gather in Congressional support.

That said, I am one who believes that many of his actions during the civil war were not Constitutional. Further, the Union winning the Civil War changed the Constitution in that the States lost their sovereign position. While there are many things to refer to supporting this position, one thing is an example of that result. In 1868 the 14th Amendment was enacted. It was only able to be considered as passed when the then federal government installed its own selected people in some of the former Confederate States legislatures. This was subsequently defined as valid in 1869 by the court in the case of Texas v. White when the court decided that such federal actions were valid by right of conquest. Not Constitutionally or legally but by right of conquest over the Confederacy.

None of this would have occurred without the determination of President Lincoln to initiate and win the Civil War. Whether one agrees with his actions or not, no retarded person could have accomplished such a goal.

Answer 3

No, I definitely do not believe he was a retard. He is one of my heroes. Abraham Lincoln was brilliant, and not just brilliant, but a great man morally speaking. I do not know about the facial deformities or getting kicked by a horse, but I do know he had a lot of hardships in his life. His mom died when he was young. He had to learn to read with what little books he had. He was poor to start. He had some big difficulties in his close relationships. He was not as flashy as some of the politicians we have nowadays, but his moral character was excellent.

Answer 4

It's hard to say how much smarter he was than the average American, but he no doubt had more common sense and the courage to act on his convictions.

It is hard to remember that the Civil War itself was very unpopular at the time. He really ticked off half of the country with the Emancipation Proclamation. He wasn't even the highlighted speaker at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg (but who remembers Edward Everett?).

Still, the impact of a President's administration is only measured long after his term in office. How many can argue that he was not one of the greatest who ever served?

Was he a retard? As offensive as the term is, I would say that if he was then we need more of them in office.

Answer 5

You slam one of the greatest leaders of a nation, any nation at any time in history thinking you are cute with your curt remarks.

You aren't.

And I doubt you will never even begin to attain the level of intelligence any President or Prime Minister is required to have to gain the office. Neither will I.

But the one thing that President Lincoln did, was preserve a union of American States where it is our constitutional right to say what ever is on ones mind. I suspect the Internet is an extension of that belief. You can speak your mind, but that doesn't mean you know what you are talking about.




g-day!

Answer 6

Highly doubtful. He was a lawyer and a member of Congress before ascending to the Presidency. I find it hard to believe that a mentally handicapped person could achieve this much success on a national level. But stranger things have occurred through the coarse of human history so I guess that it is possible, However I feel that there would have been some record of it. Don't you?

Answer 7

Excuse me? Abraham Lincoln most certainly wasn't a retard, which you would know if you had read any of his documents and speeches. I would really like to see the scientific basis for your question - I mean, "facial deformities", beg your pardon, maybe he wasn't a beauty, but he was a great man.

Answer 8

Lincoln was an exceptional man. He was unusually tall compared to other men of that time. I had been told in one history class that he was likely to have suffered some depression . And that Mary Todd Lincoln was a bit of a lunatic.

Answer 9

Yes...but retard isnt the label....abraham lincoln had his on set of right and wrong same as John Brown...John Brown and abraham lincoln had relations and john brown was same facial features also...

Answer 10

He was dyslexic - where letters are seen backward at times or none at all, a trait passed on to his son, Todd. The facial expressions were probably from trying to decipher the letters and words afflictong him from the disease.