Carl Sandburg's Lincoln in 'The People, Yes'

 

Carl Sandburg and a bust of Abraham Lincoln

In an era where constitutional rights and civil liberties often find themselves in the crosshairs of modern debates, the voice of history calls out louder than ever. 

Enter Carl Sandburg—a poet whose words remain as powerful today as when first written. His evocative portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in The People, Yes does more than celebrate a historical figure; it challenges readers to wrestle with democracy’s paradoxes, the weight of leadership, and the enduring struggle for justice. 

Sandburg paints Lincoln not as a monument, but as a man—a struggler amid illusions, navigating the wilderness of government by the people. At times like these, when questions of fairness, due process, and the values embedded in the Bill of Rights are front and center, Sandburg’s Lincoln reminds us why these ideals matter. 

What light can an "old poem" shine on our present darkness? 

Let’s find out.

from The People, Yes 

By Carl Sandburg

Lincoln?

He was a mystery in smoke and flags

Saying yes to the smoke, 

Yes to the flags,

Yes to the paradoxes of democracy,

Yes to the hopes of government Of the people by the people for the people,

No to debauchery of the public mind,

No to personal malice nursed and fed,

Yes to the Constitution when a help...

Yes to man as a struggler amid illusions,

Each man fated to answer for himself:

Which of the faiths and illusions of mankind

Must I choose for my own sustaining light

To bring me beyond the present wilderness?

Lincoln?

Was he a poet?

And did he write verses?

“I have not willingly planted a thorn

in any man’s bosom.”

"I shall do nothing through malice: what

I deal with is too vast for malice.”

Death was in the air.

So was birth.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Carl Sandburg was driven by a deep desire to uplift humanity and restore hope to "the people of the earth, the family of man." In 1932, he left his job at the Chicago Daily News to dedicate himself entirely to writing, shifting his focus from the final stages of Abraham Lincoln: The War Years to crafting a groundbreaking poem inspired by Lincoln’s legacy and the lessons of American history. [1]

This poem, The People, Yes, stands as a remarkable culmination of Sandburg’s poetic journey, and according to his wife, Lilian, was his personal favorite among his works. Over eight years, Sandburg wove the threads of American vernacular, historical detail, and contemporary challenges into this expansive, 300-page, prose-poem. His extensive study of the Lincoln era gave him a keen perspective on history, enabling him to draw striking parallels between Lincoln’s time and the turbulence of the 1930s. Convinced that economic inequality was the root of social injustice—from labor disputes to civil and racial discord—Sandburg responded to the societal upheavals of the Depression years through the lens of The People, Yes. [1]

This was another anecdote about Abe Lincoln, Storyteller.

Mac

Works Cited

[1] "The People, Yes". Carl Sandburg Home, North Carolina, National Park Service. Retrieved April 15, 2025.