Father Abraham: Lincoln's Relentless Struggle to End SlaveryLincoln is the single most compelling figure in our history, but also one of the most enigmatic. Was he the Great Emancipator, a man of deep convictions who ended slavery in the United States, or simply a reluctant politician compelled by the force of events to free the slaves? In Father Abraham, Richard Striner offers a fresh portrait of Lincoln, one that helps us make sense of his many contradictions. Striner shows first that, if you examine the speeches that Lincoln made in the 1850s, you will have no doubt of his passion to end slavery. These speeches illuminate the anger, vehemence, and sheer brilliance of candidate Lincoln, who worked up crowds with charismatic fervor as he gathered a national following. But if he felt so passionately about abolition, why did he wait so long to release the Emancipation Proclamation? As Striner points out, politics is the art of the possible, and Lincoln was a consummate politician, a shrewd manipulator who cloaked his visionary ethics in the more pragmatic garb of the coalition-builder. He was at bottom a Machiavellian prince for a democratic age. When secession began, Lincoln used the battle cry of saving the Union to build a power base, one that would eventually break the slave-holding states forever. Striner argues that Lincoln was a rare man indeed: a fervent idealist and a crafty politician with a remarkable gift for strategy. It was the harmonious blend of these two qualities, Striner concludes, that made Lincoln's role in ending slavery so fundamental. |
From inside the book
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Page 15
... many to cede their western lands to the Union, and Virginia, while retaining Kentucky, had already ceded its western territories north of the Ohio River to the Union in 1781. Other states, such LINCOLN AND SLAVERY : THE PROBLEM 15.
... many to cede their western lands to the Union, and Virginia, while retaining Kentucky, had already ceded its western territories north of the Ohio River to the Union in 1781. Other states, such LINCOLN AND SLAVERY : THE PROBLEM 15.
Page 16
... lands above the Ohio River. Another significant step was taken in 1787 to prevent the expansion of slavery. The Federal Constitution, which was being drafted at this time, gave the Federal Congress the power to shut off the importation ...
... lands above the Ohio River. Another significant step was taken in 1787 to prevent the expansion of slavery. The Federal Constitution, which was being drafted at this time, gave the Federal Congress the power to shut off the importation ...
Page 17
... land for former slaves. This was the America into which Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in the slave state of Kentucky, a nation poised between advocates of slavery containment and advocates of slavery expansion. The two ...
... land for former slaves. This was the America into which Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in the slave state of Kentucky, a nation poised between advocates of slavery containment and advocates of slavery expansion. The two ...
Page 19
... land that remained in the Louisiana Purchase. The free-state system would gradually overwhelm the slave-state system in its geographical magnitude, and hence in its representation in Congress. The Thomas Proviso passed, and the boundary ...
... land that remained in the Louisiana Purchase. The free-state system would gradually overwhelm the slave-state system in its geographical magnitude, and hence in its representation in Congress. The Thomas Proviso passed, and the boundary ...
Page 23
... land for the institution of slavery would be counter-balanced by an augmentation of land in which slavery would probably never take root—or so it seemed to conventional wisdom. Upon Polk's election, lame-duck President Tyler proclaimed ...
... land for the institution of slavery would be counter-balanced by an augmentation of land in which slavery would probably never take root—or so it seemed to conventional wisdom. Upon Polk's election, lame-duck President Tyler proclaimed ...
Contents
1 | |
5 | |
Lincoln and Free Soil 18541858 | 35 |
Lincoln and Slavery Containment 18591861 | 89 |
Lincoln and Emancipation 18611862 | 137 |
Lincoln and the War to the Death 1863 | 189 |
Lincoln and the WorstCase Future 1864 | 217 |
Lincoln and the BestCase Future 18641865 | 241 |
Notes | 265 |
Select Bibliography | 293 |
Index | 297 |
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Common terms and phrases
abolitionists Abraham Lincoln action amendment American anti-slavery April argued attack August battle began blacks Civil Collected coln command Compromise Confederate Congress Constitution convention December declared Democratic Dred Scott decision election emancipation Emancipation Proclamation enemy equal Eric Foner federal fight Frederick Douglass Free-Soil Free-Soil movement free-state freedom Frémont Grant Halleck Henry Halleck Ibid Illinois institution of slavery Jaffa James Jefferson John July Kansas Kentucky land LaWanda Cox leaders Lee’s army legislature Lincoln wrote Louisiana McClellan McPherson ment militants military Mississippi Missouri moral Nathaniel Banks nation negro North Northern political president presidential principles pro-slavery proclamation race racial Radical Republicans rebel Reconstruction Richmond save the Union secession Senate September Seward slavery slavery issue slaves South Carolina Southern speech Stephen Douglas strategy Sumner Taney Tennessee territory tion troops Unionist United University Press Virginia vote warned Washington white supremacist William York
References to this book
Antislavery Politics in Antebellum and Civil War America Thomas G. Mitchell No preview available - 2007 |