'Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times' - WSJ essay-review by Gordon Wood (original) (raw)

ABRAHAM LINCOLN; “The True Story of a Great life, 1891

ABRAHAM LINCOLN; “The True Story of a Great life", 1891

ABRAHAM LINCOLN; “The True Story of a Great life ABRAHAM LINCOLN; “The True Story of a Great life, by WILLIAM H. HERNDON AND JESSE W. WEIK” is the basic study of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, by the man who knew him best – William H. Herndon. Herndon was Lincoln’s law partner and they shared an office for many years. ‘Shared an office’ means one room, two desks, so these two men were in close contact every business day from 1844 until Lincoln became President. After Lincoln became President, he often sought Herndon’s advice on important questions. Herndon realized the greatness of Abraham Lincoln and when Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Herndon began collecting Lincoln papers, interviewing family and friends of Lincoln, and accumulated the largest collection of Lincoln Archive material available; anyone seriously researching Lincoln must include Hernden’s collection in her or his research. While Abraham Lincoln; the True Story of a Great life set is the most important History of Abraham Lincoln, it has become less available in Libraries and schools because it presents the fact of Lincoln’s mother being “illegitimate,” and probably Lincoln too, as if such facts of primitive life in Kentucky at that time was a mark against the person; that, and the fact that Lincoln rejected the Christian religion, and never joined a church. Lincoln’s opinion of religion was not unusual at that time, there was no radio or TV, and no mass Christian propaganda – people read widely and thought freely. Jesse Weik was a writer and researcher and created the book with Herndon’s notes and help. More books have been written about Abraham Lincoln than any other American President; many of these books are more fiction than fact; Herndon’s Lincoln; The True Story of a Great life, is the master check-point for the accuracy of all New Lincoln Histories. Emmett F. Fields

Lincoln

Lincoln, 2012

Political Writings and Speeches Abraham Lincoln occupies a unique place in the American pantheon. Symbol, sage, myth, and martyr, he is an American icon-Honest Abe and The Great Emancipator, a Janus-faced demigod sculpted in marble. But this is the post-assassination Lincoln. During his lifetime Lincoln elicited very different reactions. The writings and speeches presented in this scholarly edition illuminate Lincoln as a political thinker in the context of his own time and political situation. Opening with a concise yet rich introduction, the texts that follow are complete and carefully edited, with extensive annotation and footnotes to provide a clearer insight into Lincoln the man, the politician, and the political thinker. His views on race and slavery, on secession and civil war, and on the contradiction (as he saw it) between the Declaration of Independence ("all men are created equal") and the original Constitution (which condones slavery) are laid out in Lincoln's own well-crafted words.

The Lincoln Enigma: The Changing Faces of an American Icon

The Journal of American History, 2002

Nearly a century and a half after his death, Abraham Lincoln remains an intrinsic part of the American consciousness, yet his intentions as president and his personal character continue to stir debate. Now, in The Lincoln Enigma, Gabor Boritt invites renowned Lincoln scholars, and rising new voices, to take a look at much-debated aspects of Lincoln's life, including his possible gay relationships, his plan to send blacks back to Africa, and his high-handed treatment of the Constitution. Boritt explores Lincoln's proposals that looked to a lily-white America. Jean Baker marvels at Lincoln's loves and marriage. David Herbert Donald highlights the similarities and differences of the Union and Confederate presidents' roles as commanders-inchief. Douglas Wilson shows us the young Lincoln-not the strong leader of popular history, but a young man who questions his own identity and struggles to find his purpose. Gerald Prokopowicz searches for the military leader, William C. Harris for the peacemaker, and Robert Bruce meditates on Lincoln and death. In a final chapter Boritt and Harold Holzer offer a fascinating portfolio of Lincoln images in modern art. Acute and thought-provoking in their observations, this all-star cast of historians-including two Pulitzer and three Lincoln Prize winners-questions our assumptions of Lincoln, and provides a new vitality to our ongoing reflections on his life and legacy.

Team of rivals: The political genius of Abraham Lincoln

2005

This new biography of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet explores the President's political abilities. ABC News polls in 2000 and 2002 found that the American people believe Lincoln was the nation's greatest president. More words have been written about him than about any other American. In fact, there are more than 16,000 books, pamphlets, and articles written about him-more than any other figure in the history of the world with the exception of Jesus. He has been hailed as the Great Emancipator, the Savior of the Union, and the folksy embodiment of the Common Man. This poses a major hurdle for a historian bent on writing a new biography of Lincoln: how to find a fresh approach to the great man, how to avoid simply regurgitating familiar facts and shop worn theories. First a disclosure; while I did not see this book until the time of publication, the author did use The Frank & Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana as part of her research and, for that, a gracious acknowledgement appears in the book.

Democracy for All and All for Democracy: Lincoln as a Man of Hope

Many scholars have rightly been interested in Abraham Lincoln's thoughts on 'political religion.' His writings are glazed with his own individual religiosity---not that of any established church---making it a worthy and ambitious endeavor to pin down and articulate the components of Lincoln's conscience during the various phases of his life.

Crafty Lincoln and Honest Abe in the Media War: The Homespun Spin and the Question of Authorship

One of the reasons why Lincoln failed to impress the European elites was that statesmen were expected to show a noble strength of purpose matched by a lofty style. He did not meet the criteria applicable to statesmen, who were expected to show strength of purpose and a personal style. Lack of appreciation of Lincoln's literary style and of his statesmanship went hand in hand. If, as the Comte de Buffon had it, " the style is the man himself, " the early reports of his dress, appearance and manners and the later reception of the style of his speeches and writings reinforced this unfavorable view. This failure to take the proper measure of the man includes ignorance of how his unique style, forged in the crucible of conflict, reflected a relentless quest for authorship that matched his relentless ambition for leadership.