'Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...' if your memory just went into overdrive, bombarded by visions of a tall, lanky gentlemen with distinct, chiseled features that border on freakish and a familiarity about him, when in profile... associated with integrity, cherry trees and the Civil War, then you might be intrigued by this little book from Peter Pauper Press.

A Whig turned Republican, Abraham Lincoln, [born on February 12th, 1809 - buried on May 4th, 1865], became the 16th president of the United States on November 6th, 1860. The beginning of his famed speech, the Gettysburg Address, that I've implemented as the introductory sentence for this review, was enunciated on November 19th, 1863 when Lincoln dedicated the Gettysburg battlefield to the Civil War soldiers who had died there.

April 11th, 1865, two days after General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, indicating the close of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln addressed the public outside of the White House, indicating that he would support the voting rights of blacks... racist and Southern sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth, was in the audience. On April 14th, 1865, hating everything Lincoln stood for, Booth entered Ford's Theatre, where the President, accompanied by his family, was watching a play ... he then shot the president in the back of the head, finishing Abraham Lincoln's strikingly successful existence and completing the first Presidential assassination in our history.

Abraham Lincoln: Wisdom & Wit, a petite volume of 61 pages from Peter Pauper Press, is filled with intriguing & exemplary morsels spoken by Lincoln during his lifetime... it is a book of, indeed, Wisdom & Wit, with quotable insights & prudent statements left behind from a great philosopher's lifetime. One of these insights into a subject most of the Epinions Community can relate to goes: [taken from page 25]

'Writing, the art of communicating thoughts to the mind through the eye, is the greatest invention of the world. Its utility may be conceived by the reflection that to it we owe everything which distinguishes us from savages. Take it from us, and the Bible, all history, all science, all government, all commerce, and nearly all social intercourse, go with it.' - Abraham Lincoln

This miniature publication, a lean and compact, emerald-green book, with rectangular [as Lincoln's features] illustration of Lincoln's silhouette on the cover jacket, is chock-full of philosophical and enlightening insights from 'Honest Abe', who was recognized to be one of our history's great thinkers. Created in the image of an exclusive gift book, the first page provides its purchaser with a 'For' [insert gift recipient here] encircled by a decorative double border.

Abraham Lincoln: Wisdom & Wit [ISBN: 0-88088-359-6] edited by Louise Bachelder and illustrated by Jeff Hill, is Copyright (C) 1965 by Peter Pauper Press... I bought this little book for my husband, who has always appreciated anything relating to Abraham Lincoln. If you know someone who admires Lincoln, a history buff or quote enthusiast, you might consider this addition to their book collection. It's a quick and interesting read that offers substantial perspectives from one of our country's great minds.

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...” if your memory just went into overdrive, bombarded by visions of a tall, lanky gentlemen with distinct, chiseled features that border on freakish and a familiarity about him, when in profile... associated with integrity, cherry trees and the Civil War, then you might be intrigued by this little book from Peter Pauper Press. ....

Abraham Lincoln: Wisdom & Wit, a petite volume of 61 pages from Peter Pauper Press, is filled with intriguing & exemplary morsels spoken by Lincoln during his lifetime... it is a book of, indeed, Wisdom & Wit, with quotable insights & prudent statements left behind from a great philosopher’s lifetime. ....

This miniature publication, a lean and compact, emerald-green book, with rectangular [as Lincoln’s features] illustration of Lincoln’s silhouette on the cover jacket, is chock-full of philosophical and enlightening insights from “Honest Abe”, who was recognized to be one of our history’s great thinkers. Created in the image of an exclusive gift book, the first page provides its purchaser with a “For” [insert gift recipient here] encircled by a decorative double border.

Abraham Lincoln: Wisdom & Wit [ISBN: 0-88088-359-6] edited by Louise Bachelder and illustrated by Jeff Hill, is Copyright (C) 1965 by Peter Pauper Press... If you know someone who admires Lincoln, a history buff or quote enthusiast, you might consider this addition to their book collection. It’s a quick and interesting read that offers substantial perspectives from one of our country’s great minds.

Abraham Lincoln - Wisdom and Wit is a great little book from the Peter Pauper Press Pocket Gift Edition, "Wisdom and Wit" series. The book contains Lincoln quotes under the categories of, 'Lincoln, The Man','Lincoln, The Philosopher', 'Lincoln, The Wit', and 'Excerpts from Lincoln's Speeches'. Here's a great quote from 'Lincoln, The Wit': [Lincoln had been called a two-faced man by Douglas] "I leave it to my audience, -- if I had another face to wear, do you think I would wear this one?"

This is not a bad book, and in fact offers a solid description and assessment of the Lincoln Administration.

Paludan describes the working of Lincoln's government well, including the personalities and major policy issues they faced. He does a good job in explaining the manueverings between Salmon P. Chase and Lincoln for dominance of the Administration and later for the 1864 Repbulican Party nomination. Also described thoroughly is Lincoln's Louisianna reconstruction plan, which gives a pretty plausible map to what reconstruction could have looked like had Booth not intervened.

I found the writing average. While the book explains the subject well enough, the prose is more workmanlike. It didn't reach the level of engrossing style other chronicler's of Lincoln and his government have.

Overall, not bad.

As the title indicates, this is not a biography of Abraham Lincoln. It is, instead, a narrow, but detailed and incisive study of Lincoln's exercise of executive power between his election in 1860 and his assassination in 1865. This is important because, as author Philip Shaw Paludan explains: "No president had larger challenges than Abraham Lincoln." And Paludan proceeds to state the obvious, that Lincoln was "responsible for two enormous accomplishments that are part of folk legend as well as fact. He saved the Union and he freed the slaves." No other president did so much in so little time, and Paludan explains why. As a result, within its limited confines, this book is excellent!

Paludan demonstrates in the chapter entitled "Assembling the Cast: Winter 1860-61," that Lincoln, as president-elect, was a shrewd politician. According to Paludan: "Lincoln could be effective only if he unified the six-year-old Republican party," so one of his first appointments was "his strongest party rival," William Seward, Senator from New York, as secretary of state. As political payback for delivering Pennsylvania to the Republicans in 1860, Lincoln was obliged to appoint the notoriously-corrupt Simon Cameron Secretary of War. To counter that stench, Lincoln named as his secretary of the navy Connecticut newspaper editor Gideon Welles, who "had a glowing reputation for honesty." Within a year, Cameron also proved to be incompetent, and, in 1862, Lincoln replaced him with Edwin Stanton, who proved to be not only a man of great integrity but a very capable manager as well. It proved to be one of the most talented cabinets in American history, although Paludan makes clear that its operations were not always harmonious, most notably during the "cabinet crisis" of December 1862.

With most of the executive departments in capable hands, Lincoln "involved himself actively in matters of strategy," claiming "'war power' authority to use his office to the limits." Lincoln's focus on military affairs was essential because the Civil War generally went badly for the Union for the first year. Paludan ably demonstrates that even while Lincoln struggled to find generals who had both the talents and temperament to be successful, the Union was "forging the resources of war," which eventually proved decisive. Gen. George McClellan was a brilliant military administrator but proved much too cautious in the field, appalled by the "mangled corpses and the poor suffering wounded. Lincoln eventually lost confidence in McClellan, and he had to be replaced. One of McClellan's eventual successors, Gen. George Meade, won the great victory at Gettysburg in July 1863, but the Union did fully gain the initiative in the field until Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who won an equally great victory at Vicksburg, Mississippi almost on the same day, was appointed general in chief in March 1864.

Lincoln's original war aim was merely to restore the Union. But the costs, human and material, of the war's first two years, made eradication of slavery a necessity. Following the battle of Antietam in September 1862, which was a "tactical draw but a strategic victory" for the Union, Lincoln announced the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. The issue then became: What was to be done with the former slaves? In December, Lincoln proposed a constitutional amendment for the federal government to pay to colonize any blacks who wished to emigrate, but blacks "rejected it, abolitionists had condemned it," and this "doubtful solution" was beyond the practical realities of the time. Even while the war continued to rage, the prospective problems of reconstruction never were far from Lincoln's mind, and, according to Paludan, this difficult issue increasingly divided the president from radical Republicans.

Paludan writes that, while the radicals favored confiscation of land which had prospered from slave labor, Lincoln believed in "peaceful, gradual, compensated emancipation." Lincoln opposed the harsh remedy of confiscation and believed that the Constitution permitted him to free the slaves only "in places where war was being made." The Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 potentially freed 3 million slaves but did not mention colonization or compensated emancipation. Nevertheless, the emancipation issue proved controversial. Solidly Republican New England remained largely committed to the war, but, according to Paludan: "Especially in the regions of the Middle West settled from the South and in cities where job competition existed between the races, people resented the idea of fighting in order to free blacks."

Equally controversial was the Emancipation Proclamation's "arming of black freedom fighters." According to Paludan, "Lincoln and his party clearly were committed to Union and to emancipation and to the belief that the two were linked indissolubly by the need for black soldiers." Almost 180,000 black troops were serving in Union armies by the end of the war. Lincoln was very conscious of the importance of maintaining the national moral, and, in Paludan's view, northern whites increasingly recognized the benefits of having black soldiers defend the Union.

According to Paludan, the Union's victory was in large part a result of Lincoln's "devotion to and mastery of the political-constitutional institutions of his time." Some Civil War buffs and many general readers are likely to find this book rather dry because it focuses on the science of politics. But, as Paludan writes, the preservation of the Union "was achieved chiefly through an extraordinary outreach of national authority." This book is an exceptionally thoughtful account of the exercise of executive power during the most serious crisis in American history.

Like one of the previous reviewers, I too have been a previous student of Professor Paluden at the University of Kansas. I count him as one of the instructors that have fueled a passion in me to study the civil war period. Unlike the previous reviewer, I have had the benefit of having read this book before offering an opinion. Prof. Paluden offers an extremely well researched account of the civil war presidency of Lincoln. This work includes statistics and facts you simply cannot get from documentaries or other accounts. He correctly paints Lincoln as a master politician and cuts through the mythology of the man. Was Lincoln morally opposed to slavery...yes. Was he willing to run on an abolitionist platform?? Hell no, not and get elected during that time period. Paluden's real gift is painting a picture of the period and making folks realize just how important politics was in the 19th Century to all Americans (80-90% voter turnout). Unlike the previous reviewer, I have never noted the negative side of Prof. Paluden. He does have an ego, but, like has been said of his subject "no great man was ever modest". Thanks for a wonderful book professor. (Jayhawk Class of 1995).

The book definately strips away the mythic status that has been bestowed on Lincoln over the years. However, it tends to go the opposite way too far and villifies him mercilessly. The tome becomes a constant, annoying barrage. The book does make good points, however, about the Lincoln-Douglas debates and Lincoln's failures in life up to that point. Serious students of Lincoln and the Civil War should read it. The author could have been more balanced, though, and admitted that Lincoln wasn't a slobbering buffoon. Also the author would have been well advised to leave out the obsence anti-religious tone that infected many pages.

Mr. Masters has written a biography that definately tarnishes the mythical image of Abe Lincoln. An exhaustingly researched book, it falls into the trap of constantly deriding Lincoln for everything he did. In Mr. Masters' mind, Lincoln was a devil incarnate (which was not the case) who didn't do anything right. Anyone who reads the book should keep that in mind. The book, however, is worth the time to read in order to learn more about the 16th president of the U.S.A. Be prepared, though, for Masters' bizarre anti-religous rants.

Scully and Moulder rejoice, because this book proves "The Truth is Out There". I strongly recommend this book to anyone who yearns to understand why our country is currently in such terrible shape. You will never refer to Lincoln as "Honest Abe" or "The Great Emancipator" ever again after reading this work. I pray that the history books do not lie to our children and revere Clinton the way they do Lincoln. Hopefully, historians will have the same guts that Masters had in 1931 and tell the real story about Clinton.

This has been one of the more interesting biographys I read. This book focoses in more on his childhood than more on his life in polotics.

My mom was always encouraging me to read biograhies. One day, my mom sat me on a chair and forced me to read at least one chapter. I didn't think I would like it, but I loved it! Tons of info on Abe Lincoln! Some conversations were added to make it more interesting, but most of it was true. I am reading tons of bios from the same series (the Childhood of Famous Americans series). I would encouage everyone to read this book and other books of the series!

This book showed each side to any conspiracy that could have been involved in the Lincoln assassination. I became confused after reading a chapter and then all of that historian thinking was rejected by some other guy. If you are into that kinda thing, sure go ahead and read the book, but I just got confused. I can't determine what really happened and what was people's thoughts.

Since the day Lincoln was assassinated, many theories have emerged about who was the mastermind behind the plot. Among the accused have been members of the Confederate government, including Jefferson Davis, the Catholic Church and members of Lincoln's own Cabinet.

Hanchett examines these conspiracy theories and the people who put forward the theories in an attempt to find out if a higher authority, civil or religious, ordered John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators to kill Lincoln and members of his Cabinet. By examining each theory individually as well as the motives behind those who suggested the theories, Hanchett does an excellent job of refuting some of the more unlikely theories.

As far as I can see this book has but one fault, and that is that it claims to be a work of historical non-fiction. First of all, the body of John Wilkes Booth was not examined by his family at the old arsenal, it was examined in Baltimore shortly before being buried in the family plot. The story about Booth's escape to Asia is extremely far-fetched, and as a person who has spent a great deal of time reading about this man, it is highly doubtful that he would have brooded at all for killing Lincoln, although he might have brooded a bit for himself after he realized that he was now a hated man throughout the country. Finally, there is the icing on the cake, Booth's death in Enid, Oklahoma in 1903. If anyone has seen photographs of the man who claimed to be John Wilkes Booth shortly before dying, then it is very obvious that this man is not Booth. His forehead is much smaller and his features are much more rugged than Booth's. An interesting sidenote, the last known whereabouts of Boston Corbett, the man who killed Booth at Garrett's farm, was Enid, Oklahoma. My hats off to you Mr. Nottingham, for this book is much more entertaining than the other recent fiction book about John Wilkes Booth.

Theodore Nottingham is primarily a writer of religious books and fiction with a religious and/or historical bent. In The Curse of Cain, purportedly a biography of the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, he creates a work that is both a religious parable and a work that is at once history and historical fiction. His rationale for doing so is his desire to put across the torment and the motivation of a man reviled by history as the murderer of both the man Lincoln and of the ultimate well being of the post Civil War South. His reason for doing that is his family connection to the protagonist, for Nottingham is the great, great, great grandson of John Wilkes Booth.

As I said when I reviewed the biography of the Empress Josephine, I tend to like my history "neat," and this is no exception. That doesn't mean that the book is a total waste, however, for a number of reasons. For those readers who prefer the story behind history, the first half of the book should be quite captivating, for it certainly reads like a Shakespearean drama. Nottingham claims to have received some of his ancestor's propensity for drama and grim intensity, and he certainly reveals that when he throws himself into Booth's tale. The setting, character, and plot, including the implication of important figures pulling strings behind the scenes, are interesting enough to hold the attention. I read the first 142 pages in about 2 hours. To some extent the author's choice of words and phrases was a little trite, or perhaps more fairly, a little adolescent. In fact the book might well appeal to adolescent boys who find history too dull because history books are too "dry," a mere collection of names, dates, and places to be memorized for tests if one is to pass them

On a more redeeming note, from my perspective at least, is the final few pages of the volume which are mostly historical data drawn in part form family diaries, reminiscences, photos and documents and in part from public documents. The hurried summation of this data in these final pages certainly provided some justification for the more theatrical pages that preceded it. It also provided data that seemed to support the intimation in the earlier pages of collusion in high places. If nothing else it rubbed away the patina of the ages from the events of that era and revealed the solid brass of the time. Like our own world, full of subterfuge and hidden agendas, political posturing and diplomatic positioning, the post Civil War Era was filled with urgency and moment, with people who won big time and those who lost big time. It demonstrates that nothing under the sun is truly new, especially when it comes to human drama, something that both Shakespeare and Booth would have understood.

I think it's a pity that so little space was given to the documentation and the conclusions to be drawn from it. When I ordered the book, it was that that I expected from it. Given his access to family material, Nottingham could have made it a far more major and serious work of history.

My congratulations go to Theodore J. Nottingham on accomplishing what few authors achieve -- captiviating and engaging my mind to such an extent I was unable to stop reading his book. "The Curse of Cain" gives readers a dramatic yet factual look at what occured in the mind of John Wilkes Booth in the days, weeks, and years following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. As this man makes his way through life, his thoughts run wild with moral issues. Booth's third-great grandson does a wonderful job telling the story, with both a dramatic and factual approach. A must-read for any history fan.
Michael J. Downey

The US is so protective of Formosa. Why should China not use the Lincoln example. The solution to an area wanting to secede is to reduce it to rubble cause the death of one million people, civilian and military, declare total war on both the military and civilian population. Once conquered, the cause of the war is to say that Formosa cannot be independent, is that Formosa is no longer a part of China. Install military dictators, take away the vote of most of the citizens and dictate that they must approve certain amendments to the constitution, even though they are not a part of China, before they can re-enter the union. During the conflict shred the constitution, lock up millions without benefit of trial, and close any news outlet that does not agree with the destruction of Formosa. Once the destruction of Formosa is over most certainly the victors write the history and within 100 years or less the current president of China will be considered one of the greatest presidents of China. So it takes Formosa 80 years to recover we will always know how evil they were for wanting to attain self determination.

Most certainly the Founders of this Republic seceeded from the British Empire. What was the diference?

"Look at me and I'll tell you without blinkin' this southerner prefers Abraham Lincoln"

goes a rap at the start of this book, and it is aimed at those of like mind, southerner or not.

A warning - half the book consists of illustrations of Lincolniana so that this is one for the specialist. The Lincoln- seeker should read David Donald's excellent biography before opening this book.

That said, does this book tell us anything new about Lincoln? The answer is yes, without being final or definitive. I liked particularly the article on Lincoln and the Constitution, showing that he was not the 'dictator' of Copperhead legend, nor the conscious revolutionary of Garry Wills' 'Lincoln at Gettysburg'. However, did his actions not have revolutionary results?

The article on the Lincoln marriage I felt a bit limited, but also a good corrective to the image of Lincoln the hen-pecked husband trapped in a loveless union. 'Mary, Mary, we are elected!" he cried to his wife on arriving home that great day, showing the essential nature of the partnership between them. However, this essay does not use Mariah Vance's remininscences, though written very much later that the 1850s, which show Mary Todd Lincoln as addicted to paregoric (which contained opium) and subject to alternating fits of drugged lassitiude, and withdrawal-induced sickness. However, even the Vance memoirs (she was the Lincoln's servant) are not entirely negative on Mary Lincoln.

Other essays cover the Lincoln youth, his fascination with death, his status as war leader and finally his image in American art. The enigma is somewhat clarified but somehow the enigma, and the continuing fascination, remains.

Attractively produced compilation with highest scholarship.... Boritt directs Lincoln studies at Center,(civil War) Gettysburg site. Has more than 60 pages illustrating portraiture of Lincoln, diverse forms. Mt.Rushmore,& tourist type statues- in NY, Abe greets girl who suggested he grow a beard. An 'abandoned' forlorn 62' statue stands at a closed campground,Charleston,IL. Best source for,trivia/folklore. More of same,short paperback,Gordon Leidner's collection,2001.

... and very boring. The pace of the book is slow, and it is very conservative in its ideas. Even though I don't enjoy excessive dirty language, the morals of this book are so different than the 'modern' ones that it makes it hard to thoroughly understand, especially for a non - American who doesn't have the proper historical background.

Then why 2 stars? Because I think that this is the sort of book can appeal to people who are looking for all the points mentioned above in a book - the slower pace, the historical perspective and 'name dropping', etc.

Elliott Roosevelt has written a series of mysteries in which his mother, the First Lady, solves one or more murders. Each gives us a mystery plus a sense of the White House and popular culture during the Roosevelt administration in the 1930-1940 era. In this story, it is 1943. The allies and the axis powers are fighting desperately around the world. Winston Churchill and his Generals have come to the White House secretly to plan the invasion of France. But upstairs, a policeman finds the body of one of the President's aides, murdered in the Lincoln Bedroom. Realizing that this must be kept secret because of the conference, Eleanor Roosevelt sets out to solve the killing. With the aid of a Secret Service agent and a Washington Police detective, she uncovers and thwarts a plot to assassinate the President. The book is enjoyable, more for the flavor of 1943 than for its simple plot, but it is a smooth-reading story.

In 1943, the Roosevelt White House worries about the corpse of attorney Paul Weyrich found in the Lincoln Bedroom due to the timing of the event. FDR hosts a critical conference attended by Prime Minister Churchill and European Theater of Operation Commander Eisenhower with the agenda being the plan to liberate Europe from the Nazis.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt accompanied by her friend local police officer Ed Kennelly begin investigating the homicide thinking it is probably a stand alone murder. As Eleanor digs deeper into the background of the culprit, she soon realizes that the homicide is part of a gamut to kill her spouse. With the free world at stake, Eleanor sets in motion a plan to use Franklin as bait to capture an assassin before the deadly deed occurs.

The latest Eleanor Roosevelt amateur sleuth novel, MURDER IN THE LINCOLN BEDROOM, is typical of the long running series. The story line is fun but a no brainer and the motives when revealed seem feeble when considering the momentous event envisioned by the criminals. Still Elliot Roosevelt writes in a easy to read, smooth manner including using self deprecating humor when other noted twentieth century figures discuss the shortcomings of the Icon,s son. The opportunity to see the major players during the long running FDR Administration turns this novel like its twenty or so predecessors into an enjoyable, albeit one-sided experience for historical mystery buffs who are not concerned with a historiographer's perspective.

Harriet Klausner

I must state that the author of the book seems to want to make a point that Billy the Kid wasn't much of a well-known outlaw. Maybe in the Lincoln County War, but what about after? The author really glosses over the events following the War and tries to "revise" Billy out of history. Just another revisionist taking the stance that nothing important or interesting happened in the Old West. Unfortuante. Further, the review by Canfield is clearly a shill's piece. No one who had read the Utley book on Billy the Kid would then classify the Kid as a "hanger-on who became famous overnight and was killed shortly thereafter." Canfield, like Jacobsen, appears to be jealous of Billy the Kid. Keep in mind that Jacobsen, as a government official, would have good cause to try to downplay the life of the Kid. Canfield is either a partner in crime, or another guy who hates Billy the Kid 'cause his girlfriend saw Young Guns and thought Emilio Extevez was cute. The book may be worth reading, but don't fall for the revisionist scam!

I can smell revisionist history and political correctness a mile away, but I must say, I didn't find any in this book. I'm a bit surprised that another reviewer felt that way. The probability that a shifty, shadowy 21 year old "kid" was not the mover and shaker in this sordid little war should surprise no one. I don't know Mr. Jacobsen's political leanings, but his writing is crisp, clear and a pleasure to read. This in spite of the fact that the Lincoln County War's causes were the rather mundane ones of protection of business and political interests that escalated out of control. Jacobsen has his opinions no question, but he still makes a good case and he is a very lucid writer. He doesn't preach an agenda. I found the book interesting and informative.

The most revealing, entertaining and well-written factual account of the Lincoln County (NM) wars since Utley's last book. No less a newspaper than The Washington Post calls this a "lively, lucid, compelling account of complex and confusing events about which scholars are still puzzling." The Post is correct (Kirkus is wrong). If you're a Billy the Kid junkie, first read Utley's "Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life." THEN, read this book by Jacobsen. From Utley, you'll get to know Billy. From Jacobsen, you'll discover that Bill Bonney was mostly a hanger-on who became an overnight celebrity and was killed shortly thereafter. The REAL players in this story are Tunstall and Murphy and Dolan and McSween and Catron and Brady -- so much so, that not until the final third of the book does the Kid REALLY come into play. If you like your history unvarnished, the sources impeccably reproduced, the background thorough -- this is the book for you. Whoever wrote the Kirkus review is wrong. This is not only entertaining, it is fascinating in its human portrayals of people out to make a buck and control county politics in the new territory of New Mexico. Trust the Chicago Tribune, which describes Jacobsen's book as "...a tonic to the hysterical and sensational accounts of the past."

This book is...an insult to the intelligence of all those former slaves who were wise enough to judge Lincoln by the actual results he brougth rather than measuring him against some perfect set of ideals that had no relation to political reality.

True, Frederick Douglas has his doubts about Lincoln right up until the end. But in the end he appreciated the role Lincoln had played as an emancipator and judged his efforts to be "sublime".

Lincon's gift lay in his capacity to grow. In the final analysis he achieved greatness whatever the flaws he may have started with. Douglass recognized this and Lincoln in turn cane to recognize the greatness of Douglas and of all the former slaves who stood and contributed to the creation of a more just society.

Lincoln and the slaves overcame their limitations together. They each worked in their own ways to achieve a more just society. It is a shame the author of this work refused to recognize this obvious truth.

Unbelievable! Bennett is rehashing and keeping alive his hardly new views from the early 70s when he first wrote on this topic for EBONY magazine! Scholars have overwhelmed his points for 30 years with their demonstrations of Lincoln's personal growth and political evolution; his personal reflections on God's favor of emancipation, his relationships with Elizabeth Keckly, Sojourner Truth (as well as Frederick Douglas, who was invited in by Lincoln as the first black man to be received at an inauguration), his dropping the colonization idea in 1862, his endorsement of educated black suffrage in 1864, the approved Freedmen's Bureau in 1865 (the first Federal support agency). True, some scholars (Stephen Oates comes to mind) have taken Lincoln's growth to too great an extreme, but he was even farther from Bennett's portrait. In truth, almost no one in the 1860s could pass Bennett's requirements for purity from racism and Douglas's qualified praise of Lincoln noted by Bennett was to keep the newly freed slaves from overeacting in their idolization. (PS, I wanted to give this 0 stars.)

did this guy vote for mcclellan? the book is nothing but axe grinding. ok, lincoln wasn't perfect. but if he had lost the election to either douglas or mcclellan things would have been a lot worse. the man was trying to save a country from being torn apart at the seams. the author cites a wide range of "historical evidence". he forgets that when you quote sources its usually smart to leave them in context. i may be no scholar on the president, but i have read a lot about him. lincoln was a man of his times, as we are men of our times. a lot of revisionist historians employ the tactic of deleting this fact. the book is nothing but copperhead propoganda in an election year. far superior works are out there. the author will make friends among the liberal "culture police" that have been on patrol for the last eight years. for a better book on the sixteenth president read mr. oates work "with malice towards none." it is far more balanced and correctly researched.