Abraham Lincoln as Civic Educator: Lessons for Healing America's Divisions

Lincoln’s Blueprint for a Divided Nation

Abraham Lincoln may be remembered as America’s greatest statesman, but he also functioned as a vital civic educator.

According to a session of We the Educators, Lincoln’s approach to nation-building relied on more than just political maneuvering; it required a framework of shared principles to bind a fracturing country together.

The United States currently faces a period of moral, political, and geographic division that mirrors the tensions present before the Civil War. As National Affairs reported, the country sits at a crossroads, grappling with rifts that some observers fear could lead to significant national conflict.

Lincoln addressed these types of existential threats by attempting to ground civic education in what he called “political religion.” This wasn’t about dogma, but about creating a sense of shared allegiance to the foundational principles of the nation, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

These principles—including the idea that God endows all people with equal rights and that the nation is sovereign rather than the individual states—once served as a “common skeleton” for the American identity. However, that skeleton is showing signs of strain.

The Erosion of Civic Knowledge

The crisis facing modern America is, in many ways, a crisis of education. While Americans prior to the 1960s largely viewed civic literacy as a prerequisite for citizenship, public schooling has focused on different priorities since the post-Sputnik era.

This funding gap is reflected in state-level requirements. According to data from the Center for American Progress cited by National Affairs, by 2018, only nine states and the District of Columbia required a full year of U.S. government or civics instruction. Ten states had no requirement at all.

This lack of foundational knowledge has created a vacuum. While some citizens reject foundational principles entirely, others view them as inconsistently applied or inherently flawed. Without a shared understanding of these “common” principles, the ability to find common ground diminishes.

Healing Through Shared Principles

Sanford Kessler, a political theorist who has taught at North Carolina State University and currently teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, has focused his research on the role of religion and political thought in American life. His work suggests that Lincoln’s model of civic education offers a way to bridge contemporary divides.

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“Lincoln… designed a national framework for civic education that would unite all Americans by strengthening our allegiance to our foundational principles.”

Kessler’s research explores how Lincoln used concepts like Thanksgiving—which he established as a national holiday during the Civil War—to foster a sense of national unity. By linking civic duty to a sense of shared purpose and even faith, Lincoln sought to create a culture where Americans felt a kinship with one another, even during intense disagreement.

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Efforts to reverse the decline in civic literacy are currently underway. In March 2021, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the “Civics Secures Democracy Act” to provide grants for civic education to states, non-profits, and higher education institutions. While the bill was reintroduced in June, it has not yet become law.

The stakes of this educational debate extend beyond the classroom. The ability of a republic to function depends on a citizenry that understands the rule of law and the constitutional limits of power. As the country continues to struggle with internal divisions, the question remains whether a return to Lincoln’s emphasis on shared civic identity can provide a path toward stability.