Lincoln's Enduring Legacy: Perspective from Great Thinkers, Great Leaders, and the American Experiment

by William D. Pederson (Editor), Frank J. Williams Retired Chief Justice of (Editor), Danny Adkison (Contribution by), John Barr (Contribution by), Byron Daynes (Contribution by)

Overview

Coming on the heels of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, Lincoln's Enduring Legacy offers highly readable and accessible perspectives on Lincoln at 200 in terms of his impact on great leaders and thinkers and his place in American history. The book explores how Lincoln's words and deeds have influenced the pursuit of justice and freedom and the practice of democracy in the century and a half since he governed. Lincoln, as an abolitionist, the architect of Reconstruction, an avowed Unionist, a wordsmith and rhetorician, his age's foremost prophet for democracy, and America's greatest president remains an iconic image in American memory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739149898
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	12/16/2010
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Robert P. Watson is associate professor of American studies at Lynn University. William D. Pederson is the American Studies Chair at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Frank J. Williams is former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and was appointed by Congress to serve on the United States Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

Table of Contents

Preface 1

Part I Introduction 5

1 What Would Lincoln Do? Robert P. Watson 7

Part II Lincoln's Legacy with Great Thinkers and Leaders 17

2 Tolstoy's Lincoln Norman W. Provizer 21

3 Mill and Lincoln on Liberty David A. Nordquest 31

4 Theodore Roosevelt and the Heirs of Abraham Lincoln James MacDonald 49

5 Woodrow Wilson and Lincoln's Bridge to the World Mary Elizabeth Stockwell 63

6 Lincoln's Impact on Martin Luther King Jr. David Maas 87

7 Lincoln and the Idea of a Democratic Peace Gordon Henderson 109

Part III Lincoln's Legacy and American Memory 129

8 African American Memory and the Great Emancipator John Barr 133

9 Lincoln, the Roosevelts, and Herbert Croly's America Richard Striner 165

10 Lincoln's Relationship with Gentility in America David Demaree 179

11 Lincoln's Use of Religion and Morality Danny Adkison 197

12 Shaping American Foreign Policy: Comparing Lincoln/Seward and Nixon/Kissinger Byron W. Daynes Hyrum Salmond 213

13 Lincoln as Father: Dealing with Tragedy in the White House Robert P. Watson Richard M. Yon 225

Part IV Epilogue 249

14 Abraham Lincoln's Enduring Legacy: Bicentennial Reflections Frank J. Williams 251

Index 253

About the Contributors 261

Editorial Reviews

This collection of essays, edited by three productive scholars, will find an appreciative audience among historians and Lincoln devotees. Well researched and well written, it demonstrates Lincoln's Enduring Legacy, his imprint not only on important individuals but also on humanity as a whole. No one interested in learning about the 16th president will want to miss reading this significant book.

John F. Marszalek

The volume of writing on Lincoln continues to grow. New works often contribute substantially, confounding those who believe that little remains to be said. This insightful collection is among those that add a great deal. These essays enhance our understanding of Lincoln, of his America, and-perhaps most important-of our America as well.

University of Missouri

Though there is no shortage of books on Lincoln's legacy, I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth, usefulness, and originality of the essays in this collection. It is a veritable smorgasbord of stimulating and provocative reflections about Lincoln's life, legacy, and leadership that will appeal broadly to scholars, students, and Lincoln aficionados alike. The work is interdisciplinary in scope. There is something in it for everybody. It touches on the fields of leadership, history, sociology, biography, political theory, and religion. Each of these readable chapters can be enjoyed on its own or within the broader narrative of the entire book.

Joseph Fornieri

Though there is no shortage of books on Lincoln's legacy, I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth, usefulness, and originality of the essays in this collection. It is a veritable smorgasbord of stimulating and provocative reflections about Lincoln's life, legacy, and leadership that will appeal broadly to scholars, students, and Lincoln aficionados alike. The work is interdisciplinary in scope. There is something in it for everybody. It touches on the fields of leadership, history, sociology, biography, political theory, and religion. Each of these readable chapters can be enjoyed on its own or within the broader narrative of the entire book.--Joseph Fornieri, Rochester Institute of Technology

This collection of essays, edited by three productive scholars, will find an appreciative audience among historians and Lincoln devotees. Well researched and well written, it demonstrates Lincoln's Enduring Legacy, his imprint not only on important individuals but also on humanity as a whole. No one interested in learning about the 16th president will want to miss reading this significant book.--John F. Marszalek, Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Mississippi State University; executive director and managing editor, Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library

The volume of writing on Lincoln continues to grow. New works often contribute substantially, confounding those who believe that little remains to be said. This insightful collection is among those that add a great deal. These essays enhance our understanding of Lincoln, of his America, and-perhaps most important-of our America as well.--University of Missouri, Kansas City, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Max J. Skidmore

From the Publisher

The volume of writing on Lincoln continues to grow. New works often contribute substantially, confounding those who believe that little remains to be said. This insightful collection is among those that add a great deal. These essays enhance our understanding of Lincoln, of his America, and-perhaps most important-of our America as well.

Max J. Skidmore Max J. Skidmore Max J. Skidmore