Product Description

Abraham Lincoln's life and work have inspired more books than any other historical figure except Jesus and Shakespeare and attracted some of America's most renowned writers. But few know him as well as Phillip Paludan, one of our nation's foremost authorities on Lincoln and the Civil War.

In this long-awaited study, Paludan offers us Lincoln in whole-a complex, even contradictory personality who found greatness without seeking it and who felt deeply troubled about what he perceived as his failings as a president and person.

Opinion has been divided about the real Lincoln. A conservative. A liberal. The great emancipator. A Union preservationist at all cost. But Paludan's Lincoln is both a constitutionalist and a liberal egalitarian who ultimately saw his efforts to preserve the Union and free the slaves as inseparably linked.

Lincoln, Paludan contends, proved himself a truly great leader in a highly combustible situation. True, he was no saint and could rule with political expediency and a heavy hand. But no other president faced such awesome challenges, and none showed better how the nation could meet them and move toward "a more perfect union."

Filled with new insights and fresh interpretations, Paludan's study presents a genuinely new and compelling portrait of a president and nation at war. It will change the way we look at such things as Lincoln's evolving reconstruction plans, his civil liberties restrictions, and his handling of foreign affairs and enlarge our understanding of the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural, which linked the president's personal feelings with the needs of the nation. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Lincoln, the presidency, and the Civil War.

This book is part of the American Presidency Series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2325074 in Books
• Published on: 1994-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 388 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This is not a biography but a thorough and informative synthesis of much material on Lincoln's work as president. Paludan ( A People's Contest ), who teaches history at the University of Kansas, proceeds chronologically, describing, for example, how Lincoln assembled his cabinet to reflect his party's diverse elements, how he crafted his first inaugural and how Congress prepared for war by authorizing the printing of federal money in the era of state banknotes. Besides such details, Paludan also enters into historical debate: he argues that Lincoln's hands-off attitude toward administrative details strengthened him for "larger matters of grand strategy"; that his 1862 support for blacks to emigrate and form their own colony helped reduce resistance to inevitable emancipation; that his pre-Emancipation Proclamation proposal that states have 37 years to free their slaves showed commitment to "an orderly, gradual process of change." There is much to chew on in this book, as Paludan demonstrates that Lincoln's mastery of the "political-constitutional institutions of his time" served the country well.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Lincoln's presidency began long before he took the oath of office. Political turmoil in the country forced Lincoln to face the challenges of his day and to reshape the nation's government based on the fundamental principles of the Constitution. Paludan examines aspects of the executive office, giving special emphasis to the importance of Lincoln's cabinet and the Congress. The author masterfully handles overviews of the war and how Lincoln used it to preserve the union. By skillfully maneuvering the country through the Civil War, Lincoln was able to redefine the role of commander in chief by being personally involved in the day-to-day actions of the Army of the Potomac. This work is an in-depth examination of the democratic political process, the strength of the Constitution, and how the abilities of a single individual were able to preserve the Union. Recommended for public or academic libraries with large Lincoln collections.
Barbara Zaborowski, Cambria Cty. Lib., Johnstown, Pa.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
A prominent Civil War authority provides a scholarly analysis of Lincoln's administration. The author underscores the unique challenges and accomplishments of the Lincoln presidency by basing his treatise on the often overlooked or misunderstood fact that saving the Union and freeing the slaves were two issues that were inextricably linked in Lincoln's heart and mind as one singular objective. Convinced that the perpetuation of the slave system and the preservation of the Union were essentially incompatible concepts, Lincoln successfully navigated and manipulated the political-constitutional system in order to achieve his interconnected goals. Another outstanding addition to the respected American Presidents series. Recommended for larger Civil War collections and for libraries housing previous volumes in this series. Margaret Flanagan