Abraham Lincoln, Slavery, and the Civil War: Selected Writings and Speeches

by Abraham Lincoln, Michael P. Johnson (Editor)

Comprising an impressive array of more than 200 of Abraham Lincoln's writings and speeches, this volume offers a fascinating window onto one of history's most remarkable figures. Letting Lincoln's own eloquent voice tell the story, the author has organized the documentary material topically in ten chapters that follow Lincoln from his youth, to his entry into Republican politics, and through the main events of his presidency. Great public speeches like the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and the Gettysburg Address are here, together with many less familiar writing poignantly personal letters to voters and colleagues, notes on military strategy-to show the character and evolution of Lincoln's thought on the crucial issues of free labor, slavery, secession, Civil War, and emancipation. Johnson provides ample historical context through the skillful weaving of narrative and documents and the judicious use of footnotes, making this volume more accessible to undergraduates than any comparable collection. Also included are 14 illustrations, relevant Civil War maps, chronology, questions to consider, bibliography, and an index.

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Philosophy, American History, School

358 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2000

About the author

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States from 1861 and led the country during the Civil War.

Lincoln, a moderate, navigated a contentious array of factions with friends and opponents from the Democratic Party and Republican Party. He exploited mutual enmity of the factions, carefully distributing political patronage, and appealed to the American people.

Lincoln closely supervised the strategy and tactics in the war effort, including the selection of generals, and implemented a naval blockade of the trade. He suspended habeas corpus in Maryland and elsewhere, and averted British intervention by defusing the Trent Affair. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared free all enslaved persons in states "in rebellion against the United States." It also directed the Navy to "recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons" and to receive them "into the armed service." Lincoln promoted the thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, except as punishment for a crime.

Lincoln managed his own successful re-election campaign and sought to heal the war-torn nation through reconciliation. On April 14, 1865, just five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, he attended a play at theater of Ford in Washington, District of Columbia, with Mary Todd Lincoln, his wife, when Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Boothe fatally assassinated him.

Lincoln is remembered as a martyr and a national hero for for his efforts to preserve the union and abolish slavery. Popular and scholarly polls often rank Lincoln as the greatest president in American history.

Reviews

[Joseph Stieb · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more unique document readers I've encountered because it features both the big speeches and statements of Lincoln's life but also a lot of day-to-day correspondence that gives you a sense of his personality, the course of the war, political machinations, etc. It was actually the later I kind of breezed through; reading orders to field commanders just doesn't add that much to one's grasp of the war as a whole. Still, this reader gives you a great feel for and grounding in Lincoln's thought and politics. As brilliant as he was as an interpreter of American values and purpose, this volume really shows his political acumen, especially on slavery. He played skillfully to his audience, always making a strict distinction between his private desires to see slavery eradicated and his public stance that every step against slavery he took was a war measure in keeping with the powers of the Commander in Chief. And yet, he used that seemingly narrow basis to launch a multi-front assault on slavery both in the border states and in the south. Anyone who criticizes LIncoln for not moving fast enough on slavery needed to appreciate the politics of it, especially northerner's belief that the purpose of the war was to reunify the country and the border states' crucial role in the conflict. Moving too fast (a la Fremont and Hunter) risked losing the whole game. That's why I've always admired Lincoln so much; aside from his personal decency, he didn't let his own sense of what was right get in the way of an intelligent, strategic pursuit of the right.

So this is a good book for people with a high tolerance for detail and old-timey primary sources. It definitely should not be a first-time Civil War book, although Johnson does a great job guiding you through the sources. Cutting some of the fairly bland correspondence could have shortened the whole thing (330 pages, a bit long for a document reader), but overall this is an admirable collection.

[Sinan Öner]

President Abraham Lincoln's writings and speechs in a selection! Lincoln wrote a lot of notes, articles, letters, speechs in his political life, Lincoln's Presidency bases on his intellectual actions, on his writings, Lincoln was a Lawyer, his writings express his law philosophy, his law understanding. Lincoln was against slavery! Lincoln was against racism! Lincoln was against colonial destruction of America! Lincoln defenses democracy! Lincoln defenses freedom! Lincoln defenses independency of America! Lincoln was a Senator. Lincoln was a Leader of American citizens! Lincoln's writings express his intellectual power to change the world, Lincoln's writings express his politics to form the free society in America!

[Marlowe Glass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who gave this less than 5 stars. Come and speak to me
please.

[Elisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t make it through this. After 100 pages I just couldn’t read anymore of the racist and conciliatory and compromising rhetoric. I’m not American and I don’t subscribe to the cult of Lincoln so that probably worked against me. The Gettysburg sparked a bit of hope in me that it might get better but the battle was already lost. I can’t imagine that I’ll open this up again, but who knows?

[Joe Scipione · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upon first look Lincoln appears to be a complete racist. A deeper look at the documents contained in this book shows that he had slightly different messages for different groups of people. A true politician Lincoln knew he didn't have to say the same things to every audience, there was no 24 hours news cycle, no twitter, no way to make sure his story was always the same, and it wasn't.

[Anisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some people might hate me for saying this, but honestly this was so dry and boring. I had such a hard time getting through this book. And I know I'm not the only one. Many of my friends and peers felt the same way. I'm sorry to say that this book was very disappointing.

[Thomas Mackie]

The collection, though not complete is very illustrative of the more recent challenges to the image of Lincoln as a white racist.

[Eric]

This is an excellent book to own. If you want to know what Lincoln thought, and his views on Black Americans....don't go to the movies...read his words!

[Dan McGill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well edited and a great selection of pertinent writings. Solid overview of Lincoln's views on slavery and the war, and arranged in a readable format. Also a great reference book.