As America inaugurates a new president in 2025, America stands at a crossroads, burdened by political polarization, economic uncertainty and deep societal divides. Yet history offers a useful morale and ethical guide for us: Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln’s presidency was marked by the gravest trial in our nation’s history, a Civil War that tested the limits of democracy. He faced challenges that dwarf many or all of today’s crises, yet his leadership transcended the moment, leaving lessons that resonate profoundly in 2025. His principles of empathy, unity and moral courage are a model for the challenges ahead.

Leadership in Lincoln’s time was not for the fainthearted. It required navigating issues and threats with a steady morale compass fixed on unity and justice. Lincoln’s leadership was not centered in certainty but in conviction about the difference between right and wrong. Today’s elected leaders by contrast appear to rely on compasses spun by polls, partisanship and power. If Lincoln taught us anything, true leadership involves not division but reconciliation.

Lincoln’s genius lay not only in his intellect but in his ability to empathize with friend and foe alike. In his second inaugural address he offered these enduring words: “With malice toward none, with charity for all.” This wasn’t mere rhetoric; it was a roadmap for healing a fractured nation.

Today, empathy in leadership is often dismissed as a weakness. Yet it is precisely this quality that our elected leaders need most. In an era of divisive rhetoric and culture wars, empathy offers the foundation for dialogue, trust and progress. Imagine a president, governor or mayor who actively listens, seeks to understand and makes decisions with a deep regard for the people affected. That’s the Lincoln-style leadership we need today.

Lincoln’s mission was to preserve the union, a task that required uniting a deeply divided country. Today our divisions are not geographical but ideological. He understood that unity doesn’t mean uniformity. His leadership was about finding common ground while respecting differences — a lesson desperately needed in today’s hyper-partisan climate.

As the new administration begins its work, the temptation to govern solely for one’s base must be resisted. True leadership requires governing for the whole nation, including those who didn’t vote for you. Lincoln showed that leadership isn’t about dominating your opponents but about bringing them to the table.

Lincoln’s most transformative act — issuing the Emancipation Proclamation — was not universally popular. It was risky, controversial and divisive. Yet it was fundamentally the right thing to do. Lincoln’s courage to act in the face of profound resistance reminds us that leadership requires moral strength and character.

In 2025, our nation faces its own moral crises which require the kind of bold, principled action that defined Lincoln’s presidency. Elected leaders who shy away from these challenges not only fail their constituents but the future of America itself.

Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 robbed America of a leader uniquely equipped to heal its wounds. Yet the lessons of his life endure. As we enter a new chapter in our nation’s history, the principles he embodied — empathy, unity and courage — are more relevant than ever. There is much we can learn and apply today from Lincoln’s life.

We cannot permit the bullet that ended Lincoln’s life to erase his ideals. In 2025, let us embrace those ideals by striving for a united, empathetic and moral government worthy of his vision. We live in a stormy present and the road ahead will be difficult, but Lincoln’s example lights the way for us. The question is: Will we rise to the occasion and demand from our elected leaders an America that fulfills its promise of liberty and justice for all?

Jim Ludlow is executive producer of the Good Government Show Podcast and founder of the Good Government Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering ethical leadership and civic engagement. He lives in Fogelsville.