In “The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” Doris Kerns Goodwin takes in indirect approach towards examining Abraham Lincoln’s character. She looks at his rivals for the 1860 Republican Presidential Nomination, rather than Lincoln’ s character in isolation, in order to gain a better understanding of who Lincoln was. Eleven years after Lincoln’s death a man named Frederick Douglass, a former slave, and someone who was evidently grateful for Lincoln’s contributions in life, spoke about this man saying, “Any man can say things that are true of Abraham Lincoln, but no man can say anything that is new of Abraham Lincoln.” Douglass made this remark because his approach in examining Lincoln’s character was too narrow, in contrast with Goodwin’s approach who viewed Lincoln in a broader …show more content…
Goodwin was able to expand on this knowledge because she did not look solely at Lincoln’s being but viewed him in comparison to his rivals for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination. New York senator William H. Seward, Ohio governor Salmon P. Chase, and Missouri’s distinguished elder statesman Edward Bates provide insight into Lincoln’s character. When Goodwin views these four men together rather than as individuals, it is like a puzzle. When you have four pieces of a puzzle, rather than one, it is much easier to piece together the end result, and in this case, the end result Goodwin wants her readers to see is Lincoln. Lincoln’s background was very different in comparison to his contemporaries. When Lincoln first won the nomination, each of his rivals believed the wrong man had been chosen. They all viewed Lincoln as an incapable candidate because of his background, he did not come from the same class as they did, he did not receive the same level of education, he simply did not experience the same upbringing as they
leading up to and surrounding President Abraham Lincoln’s death. The purpose of this book is to
Williams gives us insight into Lincoln’s thought process into who Lincoln really was. Williams superbly supports this with various examples and...
In “The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln,” Phillip Shaw Paludan argues that even though Abraham Lincoln faced unparalleled challenges, Lincoln was America’s greatest president as he preserved the Union and freed the slaves. According to Paludan, Lincoln’s greatness exceeds that of all other American presidents as Lincoln’s presidential service was remarkable in both the obstacles he faced as well as the ways in which he overcame them. Before accepting the distinguished chair in Lincoln studies at the University of Illinois, Springfield, Paludan was a professor of history at the University of Kansas for over 30 years. Paludan has authored several books including Victims: A True Story of the Civil War and A People’s Contest: The Union and Civil
James Oakes gave a brilliant and unique perspective to a relationship between two well known historical figures of their time. Abraham Lincoln is a well-admired president for the United States because as Americans culture teaches that he was an honest and well-respected man. He heard about a young African American man, who had high aspirations for his life and the blossoming United States. This man’s name was Frederick Douglass. James Oakes demonstrates how both Douglass and Lincoln worked towards the abolishment of slavery and effectively producing better outcomes within antislavery politics.
Frederick Douglass. “Frederick Douglass Cuts Through the Lincoln Myth to Consider the Man.” W.W. Nordon and Company. eLibrary. Web. 27 February 2014.
After suffering the overwhelming ferociousness and inhumanity of being a slave for over two decades , a black man by the name of Fredrick Douglass fled from enslavement and began to make a concerted effort to advance himself as a human being. Combating many obstacles and resisting numerous temptations, Douglass worked assiduously to develop into a knowledgeable gentleman rather than the involuntary alternative of being an unenlightened slave. In doing so, Douglass successfully immerged as one of the Civil War era’s most prominent antislavery orators. From his first major public speech at the age of 23, Douglass became widely renowned as a premier spokesperson for Black slaves and the movement for the abolition of slavery. In one of Douglass’ most distinguished speeches, “The Meaning of July 4th for the Negro,” he uses the intermittent occasion of speaking on behalf of African Americans to a multitude of White Americans to outline arguments against slavery. In that very speech, Douglass made it clear that, like countless African Americans during this time period,
The Radical and the Republican by James Oakes is an enlightening book about Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, their different approaches, and united goal. Oakes reveals how dissimilar Douglass and Lincoln were in their views and actions, but the author also tells how both of these men influenced each other and evolved into radical Republicans in order to accomplish the abolition of slavery. Oaks clearly and soundly argues that both Lincoln became more radical and Douglass became more political in order to accomplish the complete abolition of slavery. The transformation in their way of thinking, conduct, and actions clearly show how Lincoln and Douglass became radical Republicans in the end.
. .’, concludes James Oakes’ book with the aftermath of the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination. Oakes discussed the respect Douglass gathered for Lincoln over the years and the affect his assassination had on both himself and America as a whole. Oakes even brushed over Douglass’ relationship with Andrew Johnson, the president succeeding Lincoln. Analyzing his experience with the new president, it was safe to say that Andrew Johnson had no consideration as to what Douglass and Lincoln previously fought for. Johnson did not have the same political skills as Lincoln did, and he did not retain the same view for America that Lincoln did. It was obvious that Douglass held Lincoln at a higher standard than Andrew Johnson, stating that he was a “progressive man, a humane man, an honorable man, and at heart an anti-slavery man” (p. 269). Oakes even gave his own stance on Andrew Jackson, “It was a legacy that Andrew Johnson could ever match. When all of Lincoln’s attributes were taken into consideration - his ascent from the obscurity to greatness, his congenial temperament, his moral courage - it was easy for Douglass to imagine how much better things would be ‘had Mr. Lincoln been living today’.” (p. 262). It is hard to imagine the pre-war Douglass to have said something like that as opposed to an older, much more reserved Douglass. With the abolishment of slavery, so came much discrimination. Without
Contrary to a common modern misconception, Lincoln did not believe that Negroes were equal to white men in regards to intellect or morals. In his fourth debate in Charleston, Illinois, he is direct...
This book is unlike any other book that Doris Goodwin has written. She takes an approach to Lincoln unlike that of any previous biographer. Rather than looking at smaller aspects of his career, Goodwin has opened up Lincoln's life. She shows us a president at the center of a vibrant political and social community. Goodwin, though, has included the women who made up part of Lincoln's world. Goodwin stays true to the facts about Lincoln's
Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as “The Great Emancipator,” His legacy as the man who freed the slaves, and the savior of the Union is one that fails to be forgotten. He is thought of as a hero, and one of the few to tackle slavery, a problem that has existed in many parts of the world at one time or another. Although Lincoln is credited with ending slavery, his political motives for confronting this issue and his personal views do not make him worthy of all the recognition he receives; the driven abolitionists and daring slaves deserve a much greater portion of the credit.
Gross, Terry. “Lincoln’s Evolving Thoughts on Slavery, and Freedom.” eLibrary. Proquest LLC, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
In The Real Lincoln, Thomas J. DiLorenzo argues thematically throughout nine chapters about the misconception of Abraham Lincoln. He opens each chapter with an argumentative main body, and then provides sources and examples to back up his argument. In chapter two, the belief that Lincoln was the man who fought solemnly against slavery is questioned. DiLorenzo says that, “… Lincoln stated over and over that he was opposed to racial equality” (11). Before his reign as governor of Illinois and presidency, Lincoln ...
In looking at Lincoln’s address to the Young Men’s Lyceum in Springfield, one is able to detect a similar pattern in the type of conflicts with which Lincoln chose to concern himself both before and during the Civil War. While it is not uncommon for the average American to have a vision of Abraham
Abraham Lincoln’s original views on slavery were formed through the way he was raised and the American customs of the period. Throughout Lincoln’s influential years, slavery was a recognized and a legal institution in the United States of America. Even though Lincoln began his career by declaring that he was “anti-slavery,” he was not likely to agree to instant emancipation. However, although Lincoln did not begin as a radical anti-slavery Republican, he eventually issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and in his last speech, even recommended extending voting to blacks. Although Lincoln’s feeling about blacks and slavery was quite constant over time, the evidence found between his debate with Stephen A. Douglas and his Gettysburg Address, proves that his political position and actions towards slavery have changed profoundly.