People talk a lot of trash about Lincoln. Some people love to idolize the guy, and they speak of him in these grandiose, mythological terms. To them, he fought not only to end slavery, but to preserve the Union, and everything he did was guided some core principles about which he never waivered.

Then there are those people who see Lincoln as a bigot, as a Midwestern racist who differed very little from the most brutal slaveholder of the time. To them, he was a brutal leader who led a war that tore people’s lives apart and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands. And on top of that, he didn’t actually care about freeing the slaves -- that whole thing was incidental to the period.

The version of history presented in this book does not split the difference between these two opposing viewpoints. Instead, it presents Lincoln as a highly intelligent, very ambitious Midwestern lawyer who was largely self-educated, who struggled with depression all of his life, and who seemed to never really wanted to be president. (He saw himself more as a senator, apparently, but could not get elected as one.) And while it is true that Lincoln was himself a bigot, he saw how his bigotry came into conflict with the principles of freedom and human rights that he was supposed to be upholding, and was able to create policies that transcended his weaknesses and end the brutal hypocracy of slavery.

Part military strategist, part human rights activist, Lincoln had the ability to figure out which card to play at the exact right moment. And he was able to make a decision not instantaneously, but through hours of hard contemplation. As a result he weathered through two of the most significant Constitutional crises in US history. All of which makes me wonder how useful a guy like him would be these days. But then, if he were around he’d probably just scoff at the relative luxury of our lives, then retire to his cabin in the perfectly flat Illinois countryside.

« top »

{ need books? }

{ 2008 }

{ 2007 }

{ 2006 }

{ 2005 }

{ 2004 }

{ 2003 }

{ 2002 }

{ see all the books }

{ change the font }

{ search }

With Malice Toward None :: by (published 1977) read: 16 February 2003 rating: [+]

With Malice Toward None ::
by (published 1977)
read: 16 February 2003
rating: [+]