"Cruel, merciful; peace-loving, a fighter; despising Negroes and
letting them fight and vote; protecting slavery and freeing
slaves." Abraham Lincoln was, W. E. B. Du Bois declared, "big
enough to be inconsistent." Big enough, indeed, for every
generation to have its own Lincoln--unifier or emancipator,
egalitarian or racist. In an effort to reconcile these views, and
to offer a more complex and nuanced account of a figure so central
to American history, this book focuses on the most controversial
aspect of Lincoln's thought and politics--his attitudes and actions
regarding slavery and race. Drawing attention to the limitations of
Lincoln's judgment and policies without denying his magnitude, the
book provides the most comprehensive and even-handed account
available of Lincoln's contradictory treatment of black Americans
in matters of slavery in the South and basic civil rights in the
North.
George Fredrickson shows how Lincoln's antislavery convictions,
however genuine and strong, were held in check by an equally strong
commitment to the rights of the states and the limitations of
federal power. He explores how Lincoln's beliefs about racial
equality in civil rights, stirred and strengthened by the African
American contribution to the northern war effort, were countered by
his conservative constitutional philosophy, which left this matter
to the states. The Lincoln who emerges from these pages is far more
comprehensible and credible in his inconsistencies, and in the
abiding beliefs and evolving principles from which they arose.
Deeply principled but nonetheless flawed, all-too-human yet
undeniably heroic, he is a Lincoln for all generations.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(2)
