Who inspired President Abraham Lincoln?

If Abraham Lincoln can be credited for delivering America from the grip of Civil War-era secessionism, he stood on the shoulders of two presidential giants. The iconic nineteenth century visionary honored the same constitutional ideals of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore, emulating both men’s governmental principles and the extent to which they were willing to use force in the interest of national preservation. Here, Michael Gerhardt, author of The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold Constitutional Legacy, explains the origins of Lincoln’s distinctive style of leadership, examining how these two political predecessors in particular shaped Lincoln’s legendary presidency.