The author of the book The Real Lincoln Thomas J. DiLorenzo is a very well educated man from Western Pennsylvania. His background in American economics is a substantially useful Ph.D when writing such as this one. He seems to love writing about american history especially regarding Abraham Lincoln. He has written other books such as Lincoln Unmasked: What You 're Not Supposed To Know about Dishonest Abe, Organized Crime: The Unvarnished Truth About Government and Hamilton 's Curse: How Jefferson 's Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution. In the introduction of The Real Lincoln by Thomas J. DiLorenzo the author begins to explain the overview of the book and what is to come in the following chapters. According to DiLorenzo the common view of Abraham Lincoln as a anti-slavery activist and starter of the racial revolution are not true. DiLorenzo states that many historians over the year …show more content…
For Lincoln Henry Clay was who he based most of his ideas off of. Lincoln began to state how he would be a member of the whig party and support the american system theory just like Henry Clay. While in Congress Henry Clay became a expert of protectionism and became a key factor for Northern manufacturers looking to be protected from high tariffs from other foreign competitors. The task of taking over for Clay was a aspiration that Lincoln had and would one day achieve. A major element of the American system Lincoln pursued was internal improvements or in DiLorenzos words “ corporate welfare”(73). These internal improvements supported by Abraham Lincoln, George Nicolay and John Hay did nothing but turn into twelve million dollars of debt for the country. Lincoln wanted to become in his words “ The De Witt Clinton of Illinois”(76). This admiration and attempt to recreate De Witt’s accomplishments was a great idea but for the Whig party at the time was a huge
Dilorenzo, Thomas J.. The Real Lincoln: a new look at Abraham Lincoln, his agenda, and an unnecessary war. Roseville, Calif: Prima, 2002
Williams portrays Lincoln in a very positive light, allowing the reader to realize the greatness of Lincoln, in his compassion, strategy, statesmanship and lack of ego. Williams has provided numerous instances wherein he provides ample support to his arguments and facts. In spite of the unnecessary detail and verbosity that Williams sometimes uses, there is no doubt that this book is a remarkable insight into Lincoln’s persona.
Thomas J. DiLorenzo is an economics professor at Loyola College. He has written eleven books, and is very widely published in many magazines and journals. In his book, The Real Lincoln, a twist is placed on the traditional picture of Abraham Lincoln. One of the most famous men in American History, Lincoln was regarded as being many great things, but were these things an accurate depiction of who he really was? As DiLorenzo states, “In the eyes of many Americans, Lincoln remains the most important American political figure in history because the war between the states so fundamentally transformed the nature of American government” (2). Lincoln helped begin a transformation from a small national government to a larger, more centralized one. Perhaps one of the largest misconceptions about Lincoln was his stance on slavery. DiLorenzo goes in depth about this saying, “He (Lincoln) could have ended slavery just as dozens of other countries in the world did during the first sixty years of the nineteenth century, through compensated emancipation, but he never seriously attempted to do so” (9). These two major topics, along with many more, are examined from a different perspective in discovering the man Abraham Lincoln really was.
Frederick Douglass. “Frederick Douglass Cuts Through the Lincoln Myth to Consider the Man.” W.W. Nordon and Company. eLibrary. Web. 27 February 2014.
Wilentz, Sean. "WHO LINCOLN WAS. (Cover story)." New Republic 240, no. 12/13 (July 15, 2009): 24-47. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed February 26, 2011).
The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War, by Thomas J. DiLorenzo completely shatters the illusion of the 16th President as the liberator of the slaves. DiLorenzo provides convincing evidence for Lincoln’s overt racism as expressed in his documented views on racial supremacy as stated in his desire to colonize all American blacks outside the United States (p. 4); Lincoln’s views were matched by the majority in the North who used such tools as state constitutional amendments to prohibit the emigration of black people into Northern states like Lincoln’s home of Illinois (p. 4); and that the Presidents war which killed 620, 000 Americans and destroyed 40% of the economy, was a singularly terrible, unjustified conflict given the proven success in the 19th century of the peaceful end to slavery through the policy of compensated emancipation (p. 4). DiLorenzo accordingly notes that, “Between 1800 and 1860, dozens of countries, including the entire British Empire, ended slavery peacefully; only in the United States was war involved (p. 4). DiLorenzo documents that history’s claims that the abolition of slavery as the leading motive behind the Union’s aggression against the South is untrue. He states that Lincoln’s motives were economic and political and in no way altruistic. Lincoln did oppose slavery, but his opposition did not stem from any moral motive. He wished to preserve white labor, and to avoid artificial inflation of Southern representation in Congress under the three-fifths clause of the Constitution, under which every five slaves counted as three free persons for the purpose of allotting number of congressional seats.
leading up to and surrounding President Abraham Lincoln’s death. The purpose of this book is to
Klingaman, William K. Abraham Lincoln and the Road to Emancipation, 1861-1865. New York: Viking, 2001.w York: Simon & Schuster,
An important aspect of Abraham Lincoln’s overall performance is his personal and political background. Concerning his opinions on slavery, his personal background shaped his ideals in a very unique way. James McPherson, author of the short biography Abraham Lincoln, provides some insight into Lincoln’s background, writing that Lincoln’s fathe...
Abraham Lincoln is perhaps one of the most interesting characters to have ever graced the American political arena and presidency. He is most noteworthy, obviously, for his role in saving the United States from its own destruction and the eradication of the vile Southern tradition of slavery. However, upon deeper inspection, one finds there was much more to Lincoln than his political achievements. Throughout his years as a politician, there's a noticeable shift in terms of his character, and political persona. He seems to go from ambitious and boisterous to being more solemn and reserved. Also, it should be noted that some remark that Lincoln was, quite ironically, both America’s most democratic and autocratic President to have ever held office. However, it seems that though there is abundant evidence for his democratic values, there are little to suggest his autocratic intentions. As though some lines revealing such intent can be found, many are also directly rebutted by powerful democratic rhetoric. All of this can be found in Lincoln’s four main speeches; “A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand”, his Inaugural Addresses and the Gettysburg Address. Basically, in order to properly analyze Lincoln it may be best to look at Lincoln’s personal and political changes within the terms of his antebellum and Civil War “personalities”, as well as to examine his democratic and autocratic leanings; all through scrutinizing Lincoln’s major speeches.
David Herbert Donald's Lincoln is a biography of our sixteenth President, Abraham Lincoln. At the age of twenty one, he was sure he did not want to be like his father Thomas Lincoln, an uneducated farmer, so he left his fathers house permanently. He had many jobs, learned many lessons, and made both friends and enemies, all which helped him to become one of the greatest presidents of the United States of America during the time the country had split, the Civil War. Thoroughly researched and excellently written, this biography comes alive and shows us what really happened during the early to mid-nineteenth century and it still puts us in the point of view of our former president, using the information and ideas available to him.
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.
Overall, Lincoln is a comprehensive study of Abraham Lincoln’s life and is a factual goldmine. Donald’s omission of summarizing paragraphs and lack of conclusion make understanding the larger picture hard if the reader is unfamiliar with the story of Abraham Lincoln, so this book is best-suited to researchers and history buffs. Even though Donald’s thesis was ill-supported, the value of his book did not lie with the argument, but with the sheer amount of information contained within the pages, making the thesis the lesser focus of the work.
First, I want to talk about President Lincoln’s childhood. He was born in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809. His parents were Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and President Lincoln had two siblings, one older and one younger. He had an older sister, Sarah, who was fortunate enough to live, however he also had a younger brother, Thomas, who died as a baby. Lincoln had to really struggle for a living and learning. His family had to move out of Kentucky for social reasons. When he was only ten years old, his mother died of tremetol, a milk sickness, and he was devastated afterwards. He mourned on it for 26 years. He didn’t bond very well with his father and he despised the work that was put on him at a very early age. After his real mother, he got a step-mother named Sarah Bush Johnston. She was a widow from Kentucky. She and Abraham bonded well, and she encouraged Abraham to read even though both his parents could not read. Only when he was growing into a man did he actually receive his formal education in 18 months. There weren’t many books in the county so Abraham had to walk for miles to borrow a book which he did. He read many, many books such as Robinson Crusoe and the fami...
In his work, The Real Lincoln, economic historian Thomas J. DiLorenzo tells quite the different tale. Daring to criticize this beloved president, DiLorenzo defends his antithetical statements with several key points: Lincoln was more similar to a dictator than an American President. Arguing that the War Between the States was wholly unconstitutional, DiLorenzo corrects the popular misconception that Lincoln’s war was one of abolition. War was not necessary to end slavery, but it was necessary to fulfill Lincoln’s true agenda – to destroy the most significant check on the powers of the central government: the right of secession.1