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What Is Abraham Lincoln's Relationship With His Son

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These negotiations where, as mentioned in the beginning, of a more private nature. Mostly separated from the political topic they were held between Abraham Lincoln, his wife and his son Robert. In this constellation we face the mother, which already suffered the loss of one son and does not want to see her oldest son near any danger. The son however, a student at Harvard university, sees himself as coward. While most of the other men in his age in Boston joined the military to fight against then Confederates his father forbids him to drop of from university and do the same. He also sees war as an option to give purpose to his existence in his father’s big shadow. We can see this when he says he would never be as important as his father but through military, at least, he could be someone. …show more content…

On the one hand side he understands his sons wished and wants to see him happy, but on the other hand he does not want to lose another son and hopes he is safe at Harvard and will become a lawyer just like he did. First, he tried several simple approaches. He took his son to hospitals and showed him the cruel side of war hoping this would chance Roberts decision. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. Here he found a good balance, when he realized he could not keep his son from enlisting. As we learn in many negotiations guides a compromise is normally unsatisfying for all parties. Here he prevented a fatal outcome by letting his son join the army but sending him to support the general at the headquarter. As information officer he was still part of the army and felt honored as he could be a part of the fight against the south. However, in his position he was not actively involved in fights so Lincoln and his wife could feel better as they knew they would not lose another son. 5. Lessons

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