Presidential Report Card

Name of President: Abraham Lincoln

Number of Presidency: 16th

Years in Office: 1861-1865

In the following ten categories, grade your president from an A to an F. (You may “acknowledge” border-line grades with a – or a +).  You will need to give a 50 word justification as to why your candidate scored as they did. 

Category	Grade	Comments
Ability to handle and deal with a crisis	B-	I choose this grade because because throughout his presidency he handled many crisis's well.  One of these issues included working out the huge slavery issue to the best of his ability. On the other hand, he didn't deal all that well with the Civil War that started during his presidency.
Ability to work with Congress and Cabinet	B+	He worked very well with his companions.  He changed the Chief Legislators position giving Congress the right to make laws and the President to enforce them.  He wasn't much with working with his Cabinet members though, as he was more of a one man show.
Character and Integrity	A	He showed and had great character, as well as excellent leaderships skills that held the country together.  Lastly, he also was a incredibly honest person even receiving the nickname Honest Abe.
Education	C	I chose this grade because even though he did do a few things for education, such as the Morrill Act which enabled agricultural and mechanical colleges, he didn't greatly improve the education system for a majority of people.
Empathy	A	Lincoln was a very kind and compassionate president  He did what he could for the people to the best of his ability.  He had great character and wisdom and even received the nickname "Father Abraham".
Foreign Policy	B	Lincoln's foreign policy concentrated around keeping foreign intervention out of the Civil War. In the end it was a very successful policy, as no foreign involvement happened during his time as Commander in Chief during the Civil War.
Relates to the common man	B	Lincoln was a very likable person and president among many.  He always reach out for the people's opinions and wanted their approval.  On the other hand, he didn't always use the help of all the opinions received making him seem not so relative.
Persuasiveness	A+	Throughout his presidency, Lincoln sought the people to side with him and had to be very persuasive.  He sought this through the truth and understood the importance of his fellow workers opinions. He also used his humor and likable qualities to win over the people.
Political Experience	B	Lincoln didn't have any education in the political field.  With that said though he studied hard on his own and opened his own successful law firm.  Also, he served four terms in the Illinois State House of Representatives and one term in Congress.
Public speaking & Communication	A	He was an excellent speech giver giving some of the most famous speeches.  Some included his First Inaugural Address, Gettysburg Address, and his Second Inaugural Address.  All of his speeches inspired the country to come together as a whole unit as well addressing the current issues of the time.