Lincoln Poll in USA TODAY

[Joe Di Cola]

(07-10-2012 11:20 AM)Rob Wick Wrote:  Barry Schwartz and Merrill Peterson both have written on Lincoln's legacy. Peterson's book is a bit more readable than Schwartz, although Schwartz has written two books to Peterson's one.

I think much it has to do with the assassination and the martyrdom of "Father Abraham." However, had Lincoln not been assassinated, I still think he would have ranked higher simply because of 1) Freeing the slaves through the EP and later the 13th amendment and 2) Maintaining the country through an internal attempt by the south to break it apart.

Of course, Lincoln was a politician and did things based on maximum effect, but he also believed that what he was doing was best for the country. And as for Lincoln and colonization, he pretty well gave that up by 1863 as policy. Whether he personally still believed in it is more troublesome, as the main source for that allegation came from Benjamin Butler. I think as a rule, most people who don't study history see Lincoln the myth rather than Lincoln the man. Much of that came from Carl Sandburg, who from 1926 until his death in 1967 was the most popular writer on Lincoln.

Best
Rob

A few other books are also worth mentioning re Lincoln's greatness. Two are by William Lee Miller: LINCOLN'S VIRTUES: AN ETHICAL BIOGRAPHY and PRESIDENT LINCOLN: THE DUTY OF A STATESMAN. The other is Douglas L. Wilson's HONOR'S VOICE: THE TRANSFORMATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. This latter volume discusses the forces that shaped Lincoln in the early years, particularly his esperiences at New Salem. One of the reasons I am most interested in Lincoln's pre-presidential years is because I am fascinated with the people, events, and forces that shaped him. These are what made him (inarguably, for me) our greatest President.