They Knew Lincoln, first published in 1942, captures impressions of
Abraham Lincoln by African Americans who personally knew and
interacted with him in Springfield, Illinois, and Washington, DC.
Dr. John Washington, an African American collector of Lincoln
memorabilia, who grew up in the shadow of Ford's Theatre in the
late 19th century, gathered stories through personal interviews
with Lincoln's African American acquaintances or their children.
They include Lincoln's barbers, White House servants, waiters,
doorkeepers and others. A large section is devoted to Mary
Lincoln's African American seamstress and confidant Elizabeth
Keckley. Washington conducted research in collections across the
Southeast and Midwest; he interviewed elderly African Americans in
Washington, Maryland, and Virginia; and he reached out to the
foremost Lincoln scholars and collectors of his era, hoping for new
leads and new information. This remarkable book was originally
published by E.P. Dutton, including a strong introduction by the
famed poet and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg. The "collection of
Negro stories, memories, legends about Lincoln" seemed "to fill
such an obvious gap in the material about Lincoln that one wonders
why no one ever did it before." Even in the twenty-first century,
They Knew Lincoln remains unsurpassed as a study of the African
Americans who knew Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. In recent years
historians have regularly turned to Washington's book as a crucial
source of information about the Lincolns' domestic world and about
black Washington in the Civil War era. Yet the book has never been
reprinted and remains largely unavailable. This reissue reproduces
the original text in full and the rare photos that appeared in the
original book (as well as some additional ones of John E.
Washington), along with a significant original essay by Kate Masur
about the publication of the book, its author, and the subjects
covered by this unusual work.
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)
