The Best American History Essays on Lincoln

by Kenneth A. Loparo, S. Wilentz

Overview

This new volume in the Best American History Essays series brings together classic writing from top American historians on one of our greatest presidents. Ranging from incisive assessments of his political leadership, to explorations of his enigmatic character, to reflections on the mythos that has become inseparable from the man, each of these contributions expands our understanding of Abraham Lincoln and shows why he has been such an object of enduring fascination.Contributions include:* James McPherson on Lincoln the military strategist* Richard Hofstadter on the Lincoln legend* Edmund Wilson on his contribution to American letters* John Hope Franklinon the Emancipation Proclamation* James Horton on Lincoln and race* David M. Potter on the secession* Richard Current on Lincoln's political genius* Mark Neely on Lincoln and civil liberties.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780230609150
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	02/13/2009
Edition description:	2009
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

SEAN WILENTZ is the Dayton-Skton Professor of History at Princeton University, USA. He regularly writes on history and politics for publications such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, and Salon.com. His most recent book is The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln.

Table of Contents

PART I: GENERAL APPRAISALS Abraham Lincoln and the Self-Made Myth; R.Hofstadter Abraham Lincoln; E.Wilson Naturally Anti-Slavery: Lincoln, Race, and the Complexity of American Liberty; J.Horton Lincoln and the Economics of the American Dream; G.S.Borritt PART II: THE PRIVATE LINCOLN A Strange, Friendless, Uneducated, Penniless Boy; D.H.Donald Mary and Abraham: A Marriage; J.H.Baker PART III: LINCOLN THE POLITICIAN The Master Politician; R.N.Current The Origins and Purpose of Lincoln's House Divided Speech; D.E.Fehrenbacher Why the Republicans Rejected Both Compromise and Secession; D.M.Potter PART IV: LINCOLN, THE PRESIDENCY, AND THE CIVIL WAR The Decision and the Writing; J.H.Franklin Lincoln and the Strategy of Unconditional Surrender; J.M.McPherson Lincoln and the Constitution; M.E.Neely, Jr. PART V: LINCOLN AND POSTERITY Apotheosis; M.D.Peterson

Editorial Reviews

'Full of closely-observed commentary and genuine insight, this roundup will be appreciated most by students and serious armchair historians.' - Publishers' Weekly

From the Publisher

In this special edition of their annual Best American History Essays, the Organization of American Historians tasked Princeton University professor Wilentz to collect the best of Lincoln scholarship from the past 60 years. Each of the eleven essays come from a noted historian considering the 16th President from a different angle; included are Richard Hofstadter on Lincoln the self-made myth, Jean H. Baker on Lincoln the husband, John Hope Franklin on Lincoln the decider, Richard N. Current on Lincoln the "master politician," and James Oliver Horton on Lincoln the "strange, friendless, uneducated, penniless boy." Wilentz organizes the material in themes-general overview, the private man, the public figure, and the commander-in-chief-and, though some of the writing can be dry and dense, manages to stave off redundancy. Full of closely-observed commentary and genuine insight, this roundup with be appreciated most by students and serious armchair historians.
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