My latest book (8-24): Lincoln's Rise to Eloquence

[D. Leigh Henson]

Many publications variously trace Abraham Lincoln’s rise to the presidency, and some comment on his presidential, literary distinction—his eloquence and statesmanship—but none of the 16,000+ Lincoln books especially emphasize that his prepresidential compositions—speeches and other writings—were a crucial factor in the political/rhetorical growth that led to his presidential nomination and prepared him for literary distinction as president. I wrote Lincoln’s Rise to Eloquence: How He Gained the Presidential Nomination in an attempt to fill that void. An anonymous Lincoln expert who participated in the book’s multi-year critical review and revision process wrote: “Finding a compelling rationale for another Lincoln book can be tricky. I am happy to say that the author of this book has found such a rationale.”

This book’s central argument is that over time Lincoln developed a powerful and ethical rhetoric, gaining credibility and political capital by deploying rational and emotional appeals through historical, legalistic, and moral argumentation, while sometimes using demagogic and satirical methods.

I am pleased and humbled that the University of Illinois Press (UIP) is publishing Lincoln’s Rise to Eloquence, with a release date of August 20, 2024. UIP offers this book in hardbound, paper, EPUB, and PDF formats. UIP’s website for the book has a tab to click for a free preview: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p088032 . The book is also available at Barnes and Noble, and Amazon, including its Kindle format. Pre-ordering the book is available at these booksellers, with Amazon offering a reduced, pre-order price of $9.99 for its Kindle version: https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Rise-Elo...0252045947 . Amazon says that a pre-ordered Kindle version of this book will be automatically delivered on its first day of publication, again 8-20-24. The book is dedicated to my devoted wife, Pat Hartman, MBA, for her encouragement and the several technical tasks she performed so well in its development.

More about this book: with a background in literature, language, and rhetoric, I systematically discuss thirty-one of Lincoln’s main compositions and numerous lesser ones that tell the story of his rhetorical/political growth. My discussions cite the limitations of previous analyses of a particular Lincoln composition that point to the need for fresh analysis. I then examine a composition’s political/rhetorical purposes; sources of influence; structure/organization; methods of argumentation; appeals to reason, emotion, and credibility; and language (grammatical, literary, and rhetorical qualities).

Many of Lincoln’s compositions show how he handled the demagogic methods of his political opponents, especially the lying, race-baiting, and personal attacks of his decades-long rival, Stephen A. Douglas. This book shows how Lincoln wrestled with whether and how to use personal attacks in retaliation to Douglas’s. The book also explains how Lincoln used his literary ability to weave humor into his main compositions—not so much with jokes and anecdotes—but with satire focusing on Douglas’s political positions, policies, and rhetoric. As arguably the most extensive rhetorical study of one of the greatest political/rhetorical rivalries in American history, this book should resonate with today’s readers, given the intensely demagogic rhetoric of some of our current politicians—their personal attacks, false assertions, and appeals to racial bias.

This book should find a notable place in the vast Lincoln literature. The reviewer quoted above wrote: “I commend the author for his attention to detail. Henson carefully traces the way Lincoln’s moral and demagogic appeals intersected and shifted across the decades-long prepresidential career. Because of Henson’s work, we now have important pieces of the puzzle for understanding Lincoln’s leadership, eloquence, and effectiveness.” A second Lincoln expert who also anonymously participated in the multi-year review and revision process observed: this book is “substantial, coherent, and in-depth”; it is “well-structured, well-reasoned, highly readable, and supported by the relevant evidence.”

Lincoln’s Rise to Eloquence is the third Lincoln-related book I have published in retirement from two teaching careers. The other books are The Town Abraham Lincoln Warned: The Living Namesake Heritage of Lincoln, Illinois, https://findinglincolnillinois.com/townabewarned.html , and Inventing Lincoln: Approaches to His Rhetoric, https://findinglincolnillinois.com/inven...ncoln.html . I have also published Lincoln-related articles in the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, The Lincoln Herald, and Lincoln Lore. For more than twenty years, I have continually developed a collaborative, pictorial history website about the first Lincoln namesake town (my hometown), https://findinglincolnillinois.com/ . My curriculum vita documents the scope and history of my professional life: https://findinglincolnillinois.com/DLHensoncv7-23.pdf