Presidents' Day is celebrated in the cold month of February; children in classrooms across the United States are given a litany of presidents and their most famous accomplishments: George Washington, who could not lie, is the “father of our country”; John Kennedy, the dashing young man who asked "not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," was assassinated in a mystery that remains unsolved, and "the honest Abe” Lincoln, the great emancipator and author of the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves, is credited with leading the long path of the struggle for equality for blacks. Even if these characterizations are true, there remains an untold story to understand. Every president has personal and political skeletons in his closet that time and history tend to leave locked up. Their images stare at the audience, from shiny coins to folded paper dollars, but their eyes seem to implore Americans to remember presidents at their best. Abraham Lincoln's feelings about slavery were not actually what he described in the Emancipation Proclamation. Additionally, Lincoln's primary focus during the Civil War was monetary: he feared state succession and financial collapse. Abraham Lincoln should not be known as the Great Emancipator, but rather as the Great Centralizer. Ask the average American citizen why the Civil War took place and the common answer will be that the North wanted the abolition of slavery; while the South, which relied on slavery to operate its plantations, did not want slavery abolished. The issue of slavery could have played an auxiliary role, certainly vital in preventing states from seceding, but the Civil War was not fought to end slavery. If Linc...... middle of paper ......renzo, Thomas J. Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe. New York: Three Rivers, 2006. Print.DiLorenzo, Thomas J. The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War. New York: Three Rivers, 2003. Print. Gienapp, William E. Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2002. Print. “Collection of Great Speeches: Speeches of William Lloyd Garrison – On the Death of John Brown.” » The place of history. Internet. February 15, 2011. .Jones, George. "BLOGDIAL » Blog Archive » The Truth About Abraham Lincoln." Irdial-MMIX Discs. Internet. February 15, 2011. “Lincoln's Changing Views on Slavery.” Illinois Periodicals Online at Northern Illinois University - (Main Page). Internet. February 15. 2011. .