Lincoln Reconsidered

Essays on the Civil War Era

David Herbert Donald

• Publisher: Open Road Media
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781504034029
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: History

A "brilliant" look at America's sixteenth president by the New York Times–bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Lincoln ( American Historical Review).
First published in 1956 and revised and updated for the twenty-first century, Lincoln Reconsidered is a masterpiece of Civil War scholarship. In a dozen eloquent, witty, and incisive essays, the author of the definitive biography of Abraham Lincoln offers a fresh perspective on topics previously shrouded in myth and hagiography and brings the president's tough-mindedness, strategic acumen, and political flexibility into sharp focus.
From Lincoln's patchwork education to his contradictory interpretations of the Constitution and the legacy of the Founding Fathers, David Herbert Donald reveals the legal mind behind the legend of the Great Emancipator. "Toward a Reconsideration of the Abolitionists" sheds new light on the radicalism of the antislavery movement, while "Herndon and Mary Lincoln" brilliantly characterizes the complicated relationship between two of the president's closest companions. "Getting Right with Lincoln" and "The Folklore Lincoln" draw on the methods of cultural anthropology to produce a provocative analysis of Lincoln as symbol.
No historian has done more to enhance our understanding of Lincoln's presidency and the causes and effects of the Civil War than Donald. Lincoln Reconsidered is an entertaining and accessible introduction to his work and a must-read for every student of American history.

INDEX

Abolitionism, differentiated from other antislavery movements, 32; suggested reasons for rise, 33; influenced by revivalism, 34–5; influenced by British precedent, 35; leadership analyzed, 35–6; sociological explanation of origin, 36ff.

Abolitionists, criticize Lincoln, 31–2; list of leaders compiled, 36; average age, 36; identified with New England, 36; ancestry, 36–7; economic status, 37; education, 37–8; sex, 38; religious beliefs, 38; rural origin, 38; views on urban problems, 38–9; attitudes toward manufacturing, 39; political affiliations, 40; composite portrait, 39–40; motivation, 42–3; reasons for hostility to Lincoln, 43; rebuked by Lincoln, 134

Adams, Charles Francis, favors antislavery crusade, 109–10

Adams, Henry, 45

Adams, John, 150

Adams, John Quincy, on war powers of President, 145–6

Aesop’s Fables, 68

Amory, Cleveland, 51

Andrews, C. C., quoted, 52

Antietam, Battle of, 35, 97

Argyll, Duke and Duchess of, friends of Sumner, 118

Arkansas, reconstruction in, 136

Arnold, Isaac N., writes Lincoln biography, 26; only Lincoln supporter in Congress, 168

Ashley, James M., welcomes death of Lincoln, 4

Atlanta, campaign for, 101

Averell, William W., 101

Bagehot, Walter, quoted, 57–8

Bailyn, Bernard, 71

Baldwin, Joseph G., quoted, 52–4

Ballard, Colin, 89

Bancroft, George, belittles Lincoln, 168

Banks, Nathaniel P., 101; favored by Radicals, 107

Barnes, Gilbert H., work on antislavery evaluated, 34–6

Bateman, Newton, on Lincoln’s religion, 21

Bates, Edward, 162; as Conservative, 107; criticizes McClellan, 110

Beard, Charles A., on causes of Civil War, 45; on Emancipation Proclamation, 135

Beauregard, Pierre G.T., influenced by Jomini, 94

Beecher, Henry W., said to pray with Lincoln, 21

Bell, John, as conservative, 59

Bennett, James Gordon, attitude toward Lincoln, 176

Bestor, Arthur E., 45

Beveridge, Albert J., 45

Bible, Lincoln’s knowledge of, 67

Billington, Ray A., 45

Binkley, W. E., on Lincoln’s use of war powers, 133

Binney, Horace, 160; on war powers of President, 146

Birney, James G., opposes Jackson, 40

Black, Frank S., Lincoln Day address quoted, 8–9

Black Hawk War, Lincoln’s role in, 102–3

Blaine, James G., on Lincoln’s reconstruction policy, 128–9

Blair, Montgomery, 110, 174; as Conservative, 107

Boston, growth of, 49

Boutwell, George S., on Lincoln, 7–8

Bragg, Braxton, 91

Breese, Sidney, 63

Bright, John, relations with Lincoln and Sumner, 118

Browder, Earl, claims Lincoln for Communist party, 13

Browne, Charles F., read by Lincoln, 21

Browning, Orville H., opposes Lincoln’s renomination, 120; supports Frémont’s proclamation, 110

Buchanan, James, 104, 161, 168

Bull Run, First Battle of, 94, 122

Bull Run, Second Battle of, 110, 122

Burlingame, Anson, appointment of, 116

Burnside, Ambrose, 158–9; at Anuetam, 97

Butler, Benjamin F., 101, 105, 107, 108, 109; attacks Jo...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• One: Getting Right with Lincoln
• Two: The Folklore Lincoln
• Three: Toward a Reconsideration of Abolitionists
• Four: An Excess of Democracy: The American Civil War and the Social Process
• Five: Education Defective: Lincoln’s Preparation for Greatness
• Six: Herndon and Mary Lincoln
• Seven: Refighting the Civil War
• Eight: The Radicals and Lincoln
• Nine: Abraham Lincoln and the American Pragmatic Tradition
• Ten: A Whig in the White House
• Eleven: Reverence for the Laws: Abraham Lincoln and the Founding Fathers
• Twelve: A. Lincoln, Politician
• Bibliographical Essay
• Index
• About the Author
• Copyright Page