Abraham Lincoln
by James M. McPherson
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Book Summary Information
Author: James M. McPhersonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-02-01
ISBN: 0195374525
Number of pages: 96
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of Abraham Lincoln
Book Review: "Steering a course between conservatism and radicalism"
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Prof McPherson has written a brief, insightful essay about the life of Lincoln. Its short length (65 pages of text) is really too brief to be an introduction to the life of such a great man; rather it is the thoughtful reflection of the views of one of the major American historians, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. Its brief length will lead to inevitable comparisons with the life of Lincoln being prepared by George McGovern in "The American Presidents" series currently being edited by Schlesinger. McPherson's volume is about half the length of those in the Schlesinger series, and covers the whole life of Lincoln rather than just his presidency, allotting only about 40 pages to those years. The book has a brief, bibliography that is historiographical in nature, mentioning not only classic works, but also those that are recent and newly expected.
McPherson admits that his views of Lincoln have changed with the years; becoming more sympathetic with time, recognizing that Lincoln "steered between the shoals of conservatism and radicalism...to maintain a steady course to victory and the abolition of slavery in the end". Premature abolition would have fractured his coalition, terminating the chances of maintaining the union and ending slavery. The author feels that Lincoln's anti-slavery feelings go back perhaps as far as his childhood and religious background and although they were well-formed by his twenties they should not be confused with sympathy for the strident abolitionism that was developing. By the time of the Kansas-Nebraska act Lincoln already realized the need to exclude slavery from the territories as a prelude to its eventual abolition.
An interesting view of the author is on Fort Sumter's defense. McPherson believes that its abandonment would have meant de facto if not also de jure recognition of the Confederacy, and with it would come foreign recognition of its independence. This is a view not shared in the recent works of Remini and Wilentz, who argue for the more traditional view that the president had to maintain defense of public property.
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation is defended as being meaningful; transforming the Union army from an army involved in a political civil war to an army of liberation. This ending of slavery, the "monstrous injustice... monument to hypocrisy"; which tarnished out nation and ensuring the survival of republican liberty and majority rule are his great contributions.
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