LINCOLN

Rating:
Summary: Very nice account of Lincoln's Life
Review: David Herbert Donald does a great job of walking the readers through Abraham Lincoln's life. Wonderful depiction of his personality and how he is perceived by others. The only criticism i have is that i found that the book could have included certain documents/letters that Lincoln wrote in addition to the short quotes that are included. Also, the book appeared to end immediately after Lincoln's death. It lacks reflections on Lincoln's life and achievements, as well as his impact on future generations as a result of the emancipation of blacks

Rating:
Summary: Lincoln
Review: David Herbert Donald is considered one of the foremost experts on Abraham Lincoln and his era. He is the author of many books, and has received many academic prizes. One can imagine how difficult it must have been for him to write a single volume biography on Lincoln. The results are very satisfying. Lincoln, warts and all, comes alive in Dr. Donald's prose, as do the times in which he lived. His rise to prominence is chronicled, as is his marriage, family life, and law practice. The reader learns about Lincoln's childhood, his political struggles, and the greatness he achieves as president during a turning point in our nation's history. The work is the culmination of a great man, a great scholar, and a great book.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating look at Lincoln, the man
Review: "Lincoln" is a remarkable look at Abraham Lincoln as he advanced from extremely poor, rural roots, in what was then the western United States, into both the Illinois legislature and the U.S. Congress for one term, through a career as a self-taught lawyer, and finally to the presidency. The author has extensively researched Lincoln's movements, first-hand accounts of his utterances, his formal speeches and writings, as well as official records kept in the discharge of his various duties and offices.

It is a fascinating look at the evolution of the character and personality of a man of meager origins and virtually no formal education. Lincoln was driven to make something of himself; this is best seen in his insatiable desire to educate himself. Beyond self-development, Lincoln had an inherent ability to relate to others. He combined humility with a great ability to tell stories. This ease among his fellow citizens led to his being elected to the Illinois legislature at a fairly young age and to a reasonably successful career as a lawyer.

Lincoln was a Whig and devotee of Henry Clay and his American system of internal improvements. But it would be completely wrong to regard Lincoln as mostly an opportunistic politician. He was principled, if anything. Manipulating a political view to get elected would have never occurred to Lincoln. Furthermore, Lincoln was a man of his word. When elected to Congress in 1846, he returned home after one term as he promised, though undoubtedly he could have been re-elected. However, the author shows that Lincoln became very astute politically with a substantial network of political friends both at the state and national levels.

Early in Lincoln's career, slavery was seldom an issue. But by the mid-1850s, slavery came to dominate the political and social life of the country. Lincoln, though clearly antislavery, was not an abolitionist. In his debates with Stephen Douglas in 1858 and on his way to being elected president in 1860, Lincoln articulated, often eloquently, a moderate position on slavery that resonated with a large segment of Northern voters. The extension of slavery to new territories became the foremost issue of the day as compared to eradication.

Lincoln was probably not technically qualified to be president; he had never held an administrative post of any importance. Nor did hundreds of high-level administrative assistants perform most of his duties, as is the case in the modern era. In addition, Lincoln faced perhaps the greatest challenge that any president in our history ever has. The secession of the South exacerbated political divides in the country. Not only did Lincoln have to deal with radical and moderate Republicans and War and Peace Democrats, but also his own cabinet, populated with some of his political rivals, exhibited the same sort of splits. Militarily, the U.S. was totally unprepared to put down a rebellion, as Lincoln called it, of the size that the Confederacy represented. He was often driven to the edge of his patience in dealing with a series of incompetent generals that cost the Northern armies defeat after defeat in the early years of the War.

The author captures the immense pressures on Lincoln during his presidency. His ungainliness was fodder for the various political factions that publicly labeled Lincoln as an "imbecile" or a "baboon." Though the presidency took a tremendous toll on Lincoln, he retained his generally good humor, even seeing countless numbers of nameless citizens straight from the streets in his office. He functioned at a high level of awareness, navigating the political minefields of the day, in making difficult decisions. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was just such a decision. It was a typically moderate Lincoln response to the antislavery and unionist extremists. When Lincoln was shot at the beginning of his second term, he had prevailed and brought the country through a terrible experience through the sheer strength and flexibility of his intellect and personality. One doubts whether there existed another individual in the country at that time, who could have dealt with all of the issues that Lincoln did with the same degree of success.

Though the author is favorably deposed towards Lincoln, he does not push Lincoln on the reader - he does not have to. He does a great job of letting the reader closely watch Lincoln in action for about forty years. It is an incredible story.

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Summary: Shows Lincoln's Agreeable and Disagreeable Sides
Review: "Lincoln" pays ample tribute to its subject's achievements and provides interesting information about Lincoln's earlier life that I wasn't aware of.

More interesting are the possibly "negative" sides to his personality--his intense political partisanship, his less than courageous views on race, and his strange relationship with his wife. This isn't to say that Lincoln was not worthy of his reputation, and the book does not aim to strip away the respect so many have for him. The information is simply presented in a matter-of-fact way that shows Lincoln was not perfect but tried to do the best he could within the limits of his world view.

All in all, this book is insightful, well researched, and a good place for expert or novice to get a feel for what made President Lincoln tick.

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Summary: A Critical Look at Lincoln's Civil Liberties
Review: When comparing David Herbert Donald's one volume biography of Lincoln to other biographies that have preceded it, one can easily draw as many parallels to other works as can be contrasted. Although Donald reads very much like Thomas' biography, written over sixty years ago, there is considerably more detail in the additional one hundred plus pages Donald contributed to the story of Lincoln's life. This additional information does not appear much like embellishment, but true detail, perhaps to the point of tedium.

Although much of Thomas is found within Donald, the additional information gives the reader a look into the reason why the author would decide to add another Lincoln biography to the existing long list. Clearly, although Donald appears to have a strong interest in the motives and person of Abraham Lincoln, there is much less of the unbridled respect Thomas reveals in his work. To call Donald a revisionist based only on this work would be an overstatement. There is however enough evidence to fairly describe him as a contrarian.

The biographies I have read, written before the Civil Rights Movement were largely complementary to Lincoln's memory. Donald, written in 1996 is much less so. Isolating the exact reasons why Donald appears to be negative toward Lincoln when compared to other biographers can be elusive, but not impossible. By Donald's description, Lincoln's actions leave a tyrannical aura in the mind of the reader. Although the author himself never refers to Lincoln as a tyrant, his frequent use of conservative and Democrat supporting press, frequently without offering a liberal or conservative counterpoint, tended to leave a negative attitude toward the Lincoln administration.

Was Lincoln a tyrant? A tyrant, according to the Oxford English Dictionary is someone who seizes powers within a state without the legal right to do so. If this is the case, is allowing supportive constituencies better opportunity to reach the polls than opponents an act of tyranny? What about the removal of basic and fundamental rights of American citizens to insure your program of government? By American standards, is this a tyrannical act? Would Americans stand idly by if the same actions Lincoln took were levied against the citizenry today? Lincoln was guilty of all of these actions. Donald's tone is subtly critical of the necessity of these actions.

Certain decisions of the administration can be singled out as possible examples of tyranny. For example, freedom of speech is considered one of the most fundamental rights we as Americans have. In fact, it is one of our defining principals of a free people. The right to expose one's opinions without fear of persecution was one of the founding fathers most important contributions. The removal of this right would have an altering effect on society, as we would no longer be a society of free speaking, free thinking people. Yet, out of preservation for principals, including the freedom of speech, Lincoln felt it necessary to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, thus allowing military and other appointed officers the right and responsibility of arresting and persons whom they perceived as potentially injurious to the government. It is important to point out that never did Lincoln authorize the arrest of anyone who spoke out against him or his administration, but only against those who sought to undermine the war effort. To some, the Lincoln administration and the war effort may have been one and the same.

Why does Donald read more negative on Lincoln than other historians. I believe Donald demonstrates his disapproval of Lincoln's handling of certain situation, most notably those we would today describe as civil liberties, by offering a single-sided point of view in citing contemporary judgments. Although the writings and speeches of many individuals may be cited, usually the use of these quotes were to support a one-sided opinion.

Throughout the book, the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus was mentioned thirteen times. In each of these instances, the author demonstrated negative attention toward Lincoln's decision by citing numerous liberal newspapers, such as the Illinois State Register or notable persons of the day such as the United States Chief Justice Roger B. Taney in dissent of the President's actions. Only in one instance, when referring to Lincoln's letter to strongly conservative Erastus Corning explaining his actions on suspension of writ of habeas corpus, did Donald offer any redeeming motives to Lincoln's actions.
This portrayal seems unfair to me. Although Donald clearly states that Lincoln's foremost purpose was to save the union regardless of the cost, understanding the completeness of this motive seems to get lost along the way. The consistent attention paid to the negative reports of Lincoln's actions, are encountered so many times, the work give the reader an impression that those opposing Lincolns may have been right, or at least justified. At the very least, I believe Donald thought so.

Rating:
Summary: Very worthwhile read (even for historically challenged)
Review: My American history is weak, and I recall only a few specifics about the Civil War from High School. I knew that Donald's Lincoln would not fill my embarrassing void of knowledge on this era because he clearly states the objective of his book up front: a biography focused closely on Lincoln himself -- "on what he knew, when he knew it, and why he made his decision." Before starting, I was worried my lack of background knowledge would make reading difficult, and my missing historical backdrop for Lincoln's world, especially the Civil War, would cause me to feel lost as I read. However, this was not the case at all. Indeed, as I read, further questions arose about the Civil War battles, the generals, other politicians, and his wife, but never did I feel lost. On the contrary, I could see that the answers to these questions did not have a place in the book, and would have only distracted from the book's purpose of bringing the reader to know Abraham Lincoln. To that purpose, this book was a huge success, and exceeded my expectations. I was completely caught off guard with sadness I felt upon reading the final pages -- perhaps an indication of how well I had come to know Old Honest Abe. I highly recommend this book for those who want to get to know one of our most famous Presidents and a fascinating human being, even if, like me, you are historically challenged.

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Summary: As free of biases as one could imagine
Review: Before reading _Lincoln_, I had read David McCullough's _John Adams_. The latter is good but nonetheless unsatisfying, because McCullough clearly worships Adams. (See my review of McCullough's book.) I went right into _Lincoln_. All I can say is that it's astonishing.

The organizing principle of _Lincoln_ makes Donald's job very hard. When Donald met JFK during the latter's presidency, Kennedy attacked historians for retrospectively judging the worth of presidents. Historians, said Kennedy, had no right to make such judgments until they sat in the presidential desk and had to make the tough decisions.

Donald wrote _Lincoln_ in an attempt to honor Kennedy's wishes, and he more than succeeded. Every sentence in _Lincoln_ is guided by the question, ``What did Lincoln know at the time he made this decision? What information did he have on hand? What could he have been reasonably expected to know? Why did he make this decision?" At no moment does Donald judge Lincoln - he is a scrupulous researcher, not historiography's answer to God.

Through this biography, we learn that Lincoln was very human. He made mistakes. Not only did he mess up, but Donald makes it clear that he wasn't always as revered as he is today. Through newspaper clippings, diary entries, and hundreds of other primary sources, Donald paints a picture of a man who very nearly lost the Union as well as his second term. Only through skillful politicking did Lincoln neutralize his enemies and get reelected.

I came into this book curious how Lincoln moved from his first inaugural address, during which he said

I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution
of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to
do so, and I have no inclination to do so.

to his second inaugural:

If God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two
hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop
of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as
was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of
the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

This is, naturally, a question that any Lincoln biographer would have to answer (if only by citing someone else who answered it). Donald does a fantastic job of answering this question without ever stating the answer outright. He merely describes the events of Lincoln's life, and lets the reader figure it out. The answer is clear: Lincoln had a fine line to walk between the abolitionists of his party and its less extreme members. At the same time, his main goal was to preserve the Union - whether or not slavery came with it. But as time went on, the political situation got easier to navigate, and Lincoln became more comfortable in his role as a leader. The evolution from one political landscape to another is vital to the answer, and Donald does a masterful job painting us a picture.

Yet never did I feel as though an historian were behind the scenes painting. Instead, it was as though I were watching Lincoln himself, through a lens that Donald provided for me. Surely every historian has his or her biases, even in such subtle ways as the sources he or she chooses to quote. Yet I feel as though Donald silenced these biases and stuck to the raw materials he was given. This is as pure and unadulterated a biography as I could imagine.

I couldn't help but think of _Crime & Punishment_ as I read this biography. In _C&P_, Dostoevsky is a pseudo-omnipotent narrator: he can get inside of Raskolnikov's head and record every thought that the latter has, but he has access to no one else's brain. Donald's biography of Lincoln is similar: it's as though we were living life from Lincoln's perspective, without any glimpses at all into related topics - no descriptions of battle scenes (where Lincoln never would have fought), nothing about life in the South beyond what Lincoln would have known, and so on. It's a subtle technique, but it's beautiful in context. It keeps Donald focused on the reality of Lincoln's life.

This book should be a model to all future biographers, and it is the standard against which I will judge all future biographies.

Rating:
Summary: An Intimate Encounter with our Greatest President
Review: Many of the other reviews describe the book. I read it twice, some parts several times. The author conveys not only the historical Lincoln, his times, and the crises he faced, but the personal Lincoln as well, and this I found particularly gratifying. I felt, as I read the book, that I had gotten to know Mr. Lincoln, as if he were a living person, a "regular guy" in many respects. The author's ability to create a sense of closeness between reader and historical subject is one of the strongest features of this excellent, marvelously written book. The reader knows the end of the book, of course, and when the assasination occurs, the reader is left sad at the terrible loss to America and the course of history. A great book.

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Summary: Fantastic Book!!! Here are 30 Things I Learned:
Review: 1) Vandalia was the state capital of Illinois before Springfield; 2) William Knox wrote 'Mortality' which was Lincoln's favorite poem; 3) Lincoln used to read aloud for better comprehension; 4) Lincoln invented and patented a device using 'adjustable buoyant chambers' to lift steamers over shoals; 5) he appeared before the Illinois Supreme Court at least 300 times; 6) he once, in court, helped a slave owner against his fugitive slave; 7) most slaves came from Liberia; 8)Lincoln served only 1 term in the U.S. House of Reps (I thought he served longer); 9)was called 'Spotty Lincoln' when he was in the U.S. House of Reps; 10) was offered the governorship of the Oregon Territory by the Taylor administration, but Lincoln declined; 11)Lincoln lost the VP nomination in 1856; 12) the Lincoln/Douglas debates were for the senate race in 1858, not the presidency (I thought the debates were for the presidency); 13) Lincoln considered resettling the slaves to Panama, but later decided it was a bad idea; 14)Panama used to called 'New Granada'; 15)Lincoln was 2nd in the balloting at the 1860 convention behind Seward; 16)Lincoln never met his VP, Hamlin, until after the election; 17)the 'L.M. Wiley' was the train that took Lincoln to Washington after he won the presidential election; 18)Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union much, much more than he wanted to abolish slavery, and he would have accepted slavery in the states that already had it, if that meant preserving the Union (they never taught us that in school); 19)during the Civil War he suspended habeas corpus; 20)Seward threatened to prosecute the newspaper editer, Horace Greeley, under the Logan Act, which prevented Americans from negotiating with foreign governments; 21)Seward's son, Frederick, was Assistant Sectretary of State; 22)one of Lincoln's sons died in the White House; 23)General Halleck was called 'Old Brains' because he was a profesor at West Point; 24)the husband of Mary Lincoln's half-sister was Confederate General Benjamin Hardin Helm, who was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga; 25)Lincoln gave his Harvard-educated son a cushy job running errands for generals during the Civil War, while sending thousands of other people's sons to their deaths; 26)the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves, just the slaves in the states in rebellion against the Union, which meant the the slaves in the border states were not yet free (I don't remember this little tidbit from school); 27)Joseph K. Barnes was the surgeon general of the U.S.; 28)on the night of Lincoln's assassination, Booth's other friend, Paine, attacked Sect of State Seward, and left him bloodied; 29)it took many hours for Lincoln to die after he was shot (I always thought he died immediately); 30)Lincoln's wife was a real dog face, no kidding.

I very highly recommend that you read this book. You'll learn a lot.

Rating:
Summary: Good Read ...
Review: This was a good read, and surely among the shortest of the "proper" Lincoln biographies. One of the things that floored me about Lincoln was his humble background. We've all heard about the log cabin ... the truth is even more amazing. Don't look to this book for mid-19th century America history. Don't look to it for a Civil War narrative. This book is about the decisions Lincoln made, and what he knew when he made them. I wish Donald focused more on Mary Todd Lincoln. In over 700 pages, we hardly hear a peep out of her.