Abe Abraham Lincoln In His Times: The Extraordinary Journey of a Great Leader

Abraham Lincoln, the beloved 16th President of the United States, was a man of resilience, courage, and unwavering leadership. Born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln would go on to shape the course of history through his presidency and his steadfast commitment to preserving the Union during the tumultuous era of the American Civil War.

From humble beginnings to the highest office in the land, Lincoln's life and legacy continue to inspire generations. Let's delve into the fascinating story of Abe Abraham Lincoln, exploring key moments, challenges, and accomplishments that defined his times.

Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times

by David S. Reynolds (Kindle Edition)

4.8 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	167385 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
X-Ray	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	1088 pages

FREE

Early Life and Political Journey

Lincoln's childhood was marked by hardship and poverty. Growing up in a rural environment, he received minimal formal education but displayed an insatiable hunger for knowledge. His determination led him to become a self-taught lawyer, gaining a reputation for his exceptional oratory skills and legal acumen.

Entering politics in his twenties, Lincoln served in the Illinois state legislature and later as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. It was during this time that he voiced his opposition to the expansion of slavery, establishing himself as a prominent opponent of this deeply divisive institution.

The Road to the Presidency

Lincoln rose to national prominence in 1860 when he secured the Republican Party's nomination for president. His campaign centered on the issue of slavery and his commitment to preserving the Union, appealing to a growing anti-slavery sentiment across the country.

Winning the presidential election, Lincoln assumed office on March 4, 1861, as the United States was on the brink of disintegration. Eleven southern states had already seceded from the Union, forming the Confederate States of America. As the nation teetered on the edge of civil war, Lincoln faced the immense challenge of navigating through this crisis and reuniting a divided nation.

Leading Through the American Civil War

The American Civil War erupted shortly after Lincoln's inauguration. Faced with the monumental task of preserving the Union, he displayed remarkable leadership and resolve throughout the conflict. With his notable Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Lincoln proclaimed the freedom of all slaves within the rebellious Confederate states, turning the tide of the war and empowering African Americans in their struggle for equality.

Lincoln's steadfast leadership came at a great personal cost. He frequently visited soldiers on the battlefield, experiencing firsthand the horrors of war. His speeches, including the iconic Gettysburg Address, resonated with the American people, offering profound reflections on the principles of human equality, democracy, and unity.

The Legacy of Abraham Lincoln

On April 14, 1865, just days after the end of the Civil War, Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. His tragic death cut short his plans for post-war reconciliation and the reconstruction of the nation, leaving a lasting impact on the United States.

Lincoln's legacy endures to this day. His commitment to democracy, equality, and justice serves as a guiding light for leaders worldwide. The Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for the eventual abolition of slavery, and his leadership through one of America's darkest periods ensured the preservation of the Union. Lincoln's character, perseverance, and unwavering devotion to the principles upon which the United States was founded make him an icon of American history.

Abe Abraham Lincoln's journey from a modest log cabin to the White House exemplifies the American dream. His transformative leadership during the Civil War, coupled with his vision for a united and free nation, continues to inspire generations. The extraordinary legacy of Abraham Lincoln reminds us of the power of determination, compassion, and integrity in shaping the course of history.

Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times

by David S. Reynolds (Kindle Edition)

4.8 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	167385 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
X-Ray	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	1088 pages

FREE

Now an Apple TV+ documentary, Lincoln's Dilemma, airing February 18, 2022.

One of the Wall Street Journal's Ten Best Books of the Year | A Washington Post Notable Book | A Christian Science Monitor and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020

Winner of the Gilder Lehrman Abraham Lincoln Prize and the Abraham Lincoln Institute Book Award

"A marvelous cultural biography that captures Lincoln in all his historical fullness. . . . using popular culture in this way, to fill out the context surrounding Lincoln, is what makes Mr. Reynolds's biography so different and so compelling . . . Where did the sympathy and compassion expressed in [Lincoln's] Second Inaugural—'With malice toward none; with charity for all'—come from? This big, wonderful book provides the richest cultural context to explain that, and everything else, about Lincoln." —Gordon Wood, Wall Street Journal

From one of the great historians of nineteenth-century America, a revelatory and enthralling new biography of Lincoln, many years in the making, that brings him to life within his turbulent age

David S. Reynolds, author of the Bancroft Prize-winning cultural biography of Walt Whitman and many other iconic works of nineteenth century American history, understands the currents in which Abraham Lincoln swam as well as anyone alive. His magisterial biography Abe is the product of full-body immersion into the riotous tumult of American life in the decades before the Civil War.

It was a country growing up and being pulled apart at the same time, with a democratic popular culture that reflected the country's contradictions. Lincoln's lineage was considered auspicious by Emerson, Whitman, and others who prophesied that a new man from the West would emerge to balance North and South. From New England Puritan stock on his father's side and Virginia Cavalier gentry on his mother's, Lincoln was linked by blood to the central conflict of the age. And an enduring theme of his life, Reynolds shows, was his genius for striking a balance between opposing forces. Lacking formal schooling but with an unquenchable thirst for self-improvement, Lincoln had a talent for wrestling and bawdy jokes that made him popular with his peers, even as his appetite for poetry and prodigious gifts for memorization set him apart from them through his childhood, his years as a lawyer, and his entrance into politics.

No one can transcend the limitations of their time, and Lincoln was no exception. But what emerges from Reynolds's masterful reckoning is a man who at each stage in his life managed to arrive at a broader view of things than all but his most enlightened peers. As a politician, he moved too slowly for some and too swiftly for many, but he always pushed toward justice while keeping the whole nation in mind. Abe culminates, of course, in the Civil War, the defining test of Lincoln and his beloved country. Reynolds shows us the extraordinary range of cultural knowledge Lincoln drew from as he shaped a vision of true union, transforming, in Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, "the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."

Abraham Lincoln did not come out of nowhere. But if he was shaped by his times, he also managed at his life's fateful hour to shape them to an extent few could have foreseen. Ultimately, this is the great drama that astonishes us still, and that Abe brings to fresh and vivid life. The measure of that life will always be part of our American education.