I'm also rather skeptical of "Great Nation" or "Great Culture" theories of history.

Quoting Hateful Eight:

”So, I’m supposed to freeze to death ’cause you find it hard to believe?” - Chris Mannix

I can’t do anything about your skepticism.

There’s about 7-10 things I casually left out, no cherry picking in sight.

You can’t figure out that Lincoln was a great man, then what else is there to say? We’re taking decades of slavery if something didn’t compel him. Half the country still fought him, and half the country still partook in on going racism for over a hundred years, with zero let up since 1860s up to, literally, 2025.

I can’t help you with discernment.