Educating Lincoln : the people and ideas that shaped the 16th president / Joseph J. Dunn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dunn, Joseph J., 1947- Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Political and social views.

Lincoln, Abraham.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Political career before 1861.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Books and reading.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

x, 265 pages 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2026]

Summary:

"This study reexamines a familiar question in American history: How did Abraham Lincoln, born into poverty and equipped with only one year of formal education, develop the intellectual, moral, and political capacity to lead the nation through its greatest crisis? Even contemporaries such as Usher P. Linder noted the gap between Lincoln's humble upbringing and his later presidency, struggling to explain his development. Rather than accepting narratives of innate greatness, this work explores the specific experiences, relationships, and self-directed learning that shaped Lincoln's political thought and approach to leadership. The emerging picture challenges the traditional image of Lincoln as a frontier figure who rose to national office through circumstance. Instead, this book presents him as a deliberate and self-sustained learner whose reading, political exchanges, and strategic planning positioned him to respond to rebellion and slavery within a constitutional framework. Close analysis of speeches, correspondences, and lesser-known conflicts in Lincoln's history offer new interpretations of how Lincoln developed his public voice. These cases, which include his reassessment of earlier positions and reconsideration of policies like colonization, provide evidence of a self-directed scholar and evolving thinker shaped by interaction, constraint, and political necessity."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Prologue: Inspiration

1. Humble Beginnings

2. Lincoln in His 20s: Westward Movement

3. Enlightenment

4. Diverse Paths Toward Freedom

5. Abolition Rising

6. Two Causes Converge

7. Big Money Arrives

8. Murder of the Press

9. Entering the National Arena

10. Northern Progress, Southern Stability

11. The 1840s: Lincoln in His 30s

12. The 1850s: Lincoln in His 40s

13. John Brown and Wealthy White Men

14. Eastward Movement

15. Election and Secession

16. "I have no purpose..."

17. Actions in Charleston and Richmond

18. Early Decisions

19. Emancipation? Colonization?

20. Reluctant Generals, Motivated Citizens

21. Emancipation Proclaimed

22. War Powers Versus Protected Freedoms

23. The End of the Beginning

24. Black Valor, Black Wisdom

25. Renewing the Social Compact

26. Abolition a War Goal

27. The People's Constitutional Power

28. "Let us strive on to finish the work we are in..."

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781476699530

1476699534

OCLC:

1591621182

Publisher Number:

90104570589