--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because Lincoln is so closely identified…" description: "\"Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy their own particu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/henry-louis-gates-2372_american_because-lincoln-is-so-closely-identified_2323257.jpg" --- # Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is… ![“Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy their own particular needs. For my own people, it was important to imagine him as the Great Emancipator, the Moses who led us out of slavery.” quote by Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/henry-louis-gates-2372_american_because-lincoln-is-so-closely-identified_2323257.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/henry-louis-gates-2372_american_because-lincoln-is-so-closely-identified_2323257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/henry-louis-gates-2372_american_because-lincoln-is-so-closely-identified_2323257.jpg) > “Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy their own particular needs. For my own people, it was important to imagine him as the Great Emancipator, the Moses who led us out of slavery.” [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lincoln’s symbolic status leads groups to reinterpret him to fit their narratives, often reshaping history for personal or collective identity. **In simple terms:** People reshape historical figures for their own agendas. Key Takeaway Critically assess how history is used to serve present goals. Themes history identity politics mythmaking Mood reflective analytical Type critical historical When to use this quote - education curricula - political speeches - media analysis - public debates Key Concepts collective memory narrative construction symbolic appropriation Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to iconic symbols? - How can we honor nuance in historical narratives? A Different Perspective Risk of oversimplification and erasing complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moses/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/because-lincoln-is-so-closely-identified-with-what-it-is-to-be/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Posterity will call you the great emancipator, a more enviable title than any crown could be, and greater than any merely mundane treasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-garibaldi/posterity-will-call-you-the-great-emancipator-a-more-enviable-title/) [Giuseppe Garibaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-garibaldi/) > [I cannot swallow whole the view of Lincoln as the Great Emancipator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-cannot-swallow-whole-the-view-of-lincoln-as-the-great-emancipator/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Whenever you think of Lincoln as a historian, in his own mind, he becomes the Great Emancipator. This is his role in history henceforth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/whenever-you-think-of-lincoln-as-a-historian-in-his-own-mind-he/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“Rather than the opportunity to succeed, the chance to be self-sufficient is what is important. One might say the American wants the freedom to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-johansson-robinowitz/rather-than-the-opportunity-to-succeed-the-chance-to-be-self/) [Christina Johansson Robinowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-johansson-robinowitz/) > [If all that Americans want is security, they can go to prison. They'll have enough to eat, a bed and a roof over their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/if-all-that-americans-want-is-security-they-can-go-to-prison-they-ll/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [Well, no American wants to in any way hurt our capabilities to national defense, but that doesn't mean an unlimited amount of money, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/well-no-american-wants-to-in-any-way-hurt-our-capabilities-to/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [“If a responsible, mentally sound American wants to own and AR-15, that’s their right. Besides, when the zombies come…okay, you don’t like the zombie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-b-powell/if-a-responsible-mentally-sound-american-wants-to-own-and-ar-15-that/) [Aaron B. 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I have no idea what I'd do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/if-you-had-your-time-all-over-again-she-was-keen-to-know-you-can-t/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [Civilization had too many rules for me, so I did my best to rewrite them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/civilization-had-too-many-rules-for-me-so-i-did-my-best-to-rewrite/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) ## More by Henry Louis Gates > [In Ethiopia, the black people became Christians 1700 years ago, hundreds of years before Northern Europe turned to Christianity... 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