What do you think?
Rate this book
Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe
What if you were told that the revered leader Abraham Lincoln was actually a political tyrant who stifled his opponents by suppressing their civil rights? What if you learned that the man so affectionately referred to as the “Great Emancipator” supported white supremacy and pledged not to interfere with slavery in the South? Would you suddenly start to question everything you thought you knew about Lincoln and his presidency?
You should.
Thomas J. DiLorenzo, who ignited a fierce debate about Lincoln’s legacy with his book The Real Lincoln , now presents a litany of stunning new revelations that explode the most enduring (and pernicious) myths about our sixteenth president. Marshaling an astonishing amount of new evidence, Lincoln Unmasked offers an alarming portrait of a political manipulator and opportunist who bears little resemblance to the heroic, stoic, and principled figure of mainstream history.
Did you know that Lincoln . . .
• did NOT save the union? In fact, Lincoln did more than any other individual to destroy the voluntary union the Founding Fathers recognized.
• did NOT want to free the slaves? Lincoln, who did not believe in equality of the races, wanted the Constitution to make slavery “irrevocable.”
• was NOT a champion of the Constitution? Contrary to his high-minded rhetoric, Lincoln repeatedly trampled on the Constitution—and even issued an arrest warrant for the chief justice of the United States!
• was NOT a great statesman? Lincoln was actually a warmonger who manipulated his own people into a civil war.
• did NOT utter many of his most admired quotations? DiLorenzo exposes a legion of statements that have been falsely attributed to Lincoln for generations—usually to enhance his image.
In addition to detailing Lincoln’s offenses against the principles of freedom, equality, and states’ rights, Lincoln Unmasked exposes the vast network of academics, historians, politicians, and other “gatekeepers” who have sanitized his true beliefs and willfully distorted his legacy. DiLorenzo reveals how the deification of Lincoln reflects a not-so-hidden agenda to expand the size and scope of the American state far beyond what the Founding Fathers envisioned—an expansion that Lincoln himself began.
The hagiographers have shaped Lincoln’s image to the point that it has become more fiction than fact. With Lincoln Unmasked , DiLorenzo shows us an Abraham Lincoln without the rhetoric, lies, and political bias that have clouded a disastrous president’s enduring damage to the nation.
You should.
Thomas J. DiLorenzo, who ignited a fierce debate about Lincoln’s legacy with his book The Real Lincoln , now presents a litany of stunning new revelations that explode the most enduring (and pernicious) myths about our sixteenth president. Marshaling an astonishing amount of new evidence, Lincoln Unmasked offers an alarming portrait of a political manipulator and opportunist who bears little resemblance to the heroic, stoic, and principled figure of mainstream history.
Did you know that Lincoln . . .
• did NOT save the union? In fact, Lincoln did more than any other individual to destroy the voluntary union the Founding Fathers recognized.
• did NOT want to free the slaves? Lincoln, who did not believe in equality of the races, wanted the Constitution to make slavery “irrevocable.”
• was NOT a champion of the Constitution? Contrary to his high-minded rhetoric, Lincoln repeatedly trampled on the Constitution—and even issued an arrest warrant for the chief justice of the United States!
• was NOT a great statesman? Lincoln was actually a warmonger who manipulated his own people into a civil war.
• did NOT utter many of his most admired quotations? DiLorenzo exposes a legion of statements that have been falsely attributed to Lincoln for generations—usually to enhance his image.
In addition to detailing Lincoln’s offenses against the principles of freedom, equality, and states’ rights, Lincoln Unmasked exposes the vast network of academics, historians, politicians, and other “gatekeepers” who have sanitized his true beliefs and willfully distorted his legacy. DiLorenzo reveals how the deification of Lincoln reflects a not-so-hidden agenda to expand the size and scope of the American state far beyond what the Founding Fathers envisioned—an expansion that Lincoln himself began.
The hagiographers have shaped Lincoln’s image to the point that it has become more fiction than fact. With Lincoln Unmasked , DiLorenzo shows us an Abraham Lincoln without the rhetoric, lies, and political bias that have clouded a disastrous president’s enduring damage to the nation.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2006
59 people are currently reading
713 people want to read
About the author
Thomas J. DiLorenzo
34 books196 followersThomas James DiLorenzo is an American economics professor at Loyola University Maryland. He identifies himself as an adherent of the Austrian School of economics. He is a senior fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and an associated scholar of the Abbeville Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Tech.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 19, 2019
This book tells the reader what most historians don't want us to know--that Abraham Lincoln was not the saintly president that is reputation tells us. Instead, he abused the power of office to maintain the national government and bring the power of government to bear on his political opponents. He tried to arrest Supreme Court Justice Taney, arrested and deported a congressman who vocally opposed his policies.
Lincoln, like most of his generation, was a product of his times. Though he sought to end slavery, he held what we would today acknowledge as racist views, and he actually sought to see African slaves deported to Liberia, creating a white America, with white labor.
DiLorenzo's agenda comes through in this book, which seeks to portray Lincoln in the worst possible light, but it is important to remember there are two sides to every story.
Lincoln, like most of his generation, was a product of his times. Though he sought to end slavery, he held what we would today acknowledge as racist views, and he actually sought to see African slaves deported to Liberia, creating a white America, with white labor.
DiLorenzo's agenda comes through in this book, which seeks to portray Lincoln in the worst possible light, but it is important to remember there are two sides to every story.
May 9, 2011
I cannot remember the last time a non-fiction book had such an impact on my perspective of a historical event or figure.
This book makes many claims. Here are a few:
*Lincoln did not want to free the slaves and actually supported an amendment that would allow slavery to continue in the South.
*Lincoln destroyed the voluntary union the founding fathers recognized.
*Lincoln was not a friend of the Constitution and ran afoul of it time after time.
These, however, only touch the surface of the history lesson this author unfolds. He writes about the true meaning of sovereignty and the relationship between the federal government and the states according to the founders. He discusses the rights of nullification and secession the states were entitled to under the Constitution and how by illegally embarking on and winning the Civil War, Lincoln crushed States' rights and effectively remade the United States into an empire. Pretty bold claim, but he backs it up.
Though I am open-minded to opposing arguments, my take away from this book is that Americans have been largely duped into thinking that Lincoln was one of our greatest presidents. I now believe he may have been one of our worst for all the damage he wrought to what was once a far greater country than it is today.
For what it's worth, having grown up and lived in Pennsylvania for most of my life, I have always been sympathetic to the Union where matters of the Civil War were concerned. Growing up I always thought of the Confederates as the "bad guys." Now I'm wondering if my allegiance wasn't misplaced.
This book makes many claims. Here are a few:
*Lincoln did not want to free the slaves and actually supported an amendment that would allow slavery to continue in the South.
*Lincoln destroyed the voluntary union the founding fathers recognized.
*Lincoln was not a friend of the Constitution and ran afoul of it time after time.
These, however, only touch the surface of the history lesson this author unfolds. He writes about the true meaning of sovereignty and the relationship between the federal government and the states according to the founders. He discusses the rights of nullification and secession the states were entitled to under the Constitution and how by illegally embarking on and winning the Civil War, Lincoln crushed States' rights and effectively remade the United States into an empire. Pretty bold claim, but he backs it up.
Though I am open-minded to opposing arguments, my take away from this book is that Americans have been largely duped into thinking that Lincoln was one of our greatest presidents. I now believe he may have been one of our worst for all the damage he wrought to what was once a far greater country than it is today.
For what it's worth, having grown up and lived in Pennsylvania for most of my life, I have always been sympathetic to the Union where matters of the Civil War were concerned. Growing up I always thought of the Confederates as the "bad guys." Now I'm wondering if my allegiance wasn't misplaced.
December 17, 2022
This is a book to appeal to those trapped in the wonder of that moment, somewhere around middle school, when a kid realizes that adults sometimes tell lies and behave in ways that they are later ashamed of, but still exercise a disproportionate control over his reality. And it gives a sense of how Fox News might have covered a Lincoln Administration as it unfolded, as opposed to one in the past, available for exploitation.
Mr DiLorenzo would have us be shocked that a politician was able to distinguish between personal views, in which he seems to have been pretty consistently against slavery, and professional ones, which required him to work with and among slave-owners before the war, admit the limited power of the presidency absent the justification of war powers, and make abolition a goal subordinate to the preservation of the union. We should also admire Lincoln less, because later people have used him to advance their own agendas, to the extent, if you can believe it, of making up fake Lincoln quotes!
Although Lincoln is chastised for insufficient hostility to slavery, the author fails to note that those who suffered Lincoln's violations of civil rights, his martyrs, shared two traits: active advocacy of slavery, and a willingness to destroy the Union in the name of slavery's preservation. While those who fought to preserve the Union encompassed a wide range of views on slavery, the role of a desire to preserve slavery as the principal motive for secession cannot be evaded.
What is most tiresome about this book, though, is the recurring conspiracy-theory-of-historiography, in which THEY don't want you to know, and The Brave Author stands against the storm, delivering his truths. In spite of THEIR power, the author somehow seems to have clung to his tenured university perch.
Mr DiLorenzo would have us be shocked that a politician was able to distinguish between personal views, in which he seems to have been pretty consistently against slavery, and professional ones, which required him to work with and among slave-owners before the war, admit the limited power of the presidency absent the justification of war powers, and make abolition a goal subordinate to the preservation of the union. We should also admire Lincoln less, because later people have used him to advance their own agendas, to the extent, if you can believe it, of making up fake Lincoln quotes!
Although Lincoln is chastised for insufficient hostility to slavery, the author fails to note that those who suffered Lincoln's violations of civil rights, his martyrs, shared two traits: active advocacy of slavery, and a willingness to destroy the Union in the name of slavery's preservation. While those who fought to preserve the Union encompassed a wide range of views on slavery, the role of a desire to preserve slavery as the principal motive for secession cannot be evaded.
What is most tiresome about this book, though, is the recurring conspiracy-theory-of-historiography, in which THEY don't want you to know, and The Brave Author stands against the storm, delivering his truths. In spite of THEIR power, the author somehow seems to have clung to his tenured university perch.
June 2, 2012
Thomas Dilorenzo really, really doesn't like Lincoln and what his administration did to permanently expand the role of the Federal Government. In this book, he hits Lincoln with everything, including the kitchen sink. I think the author's vehement tone will harm any attempt to persuade neutral readers. Its understandable that the anti-Lincoln crowd are driven to emotional excesses, since their target has been surrounded by nearly invulnerable cultural defenses. Lincoln's status as a saint makes reasoned argument nearly impossible. Like the anti-FDR crowd, the anti-Lincolnists have an interesting case, but to understand it, readers need not only a better than average knowledge of American history, but the ability to ignore liberal orthodoxy. Given the state of historical education, not just in schools, but in popular culture generally, this looks like a losing battle without a major cultural shift.
February 22, 2014
Wow, what an absolutely amazing book! I have heard many lecture, read many smaller writings, and discovered so, so many truths about Lincoln over the past 20 years, and because of that I have never actually read a full treatise on him from start to finish (figuring I knew so much already). Well, I will say that most all of the topics in this book I was already aware of general thoughts about, but for once they all came together into one theme of why and how things went down.
The author pulls so many other resources into this story, that this becomes not just his opinion, but a good mixture from multiple scholars, showing DiLorenzo is not just delivering his own personal attack on Lincoln. This book (and so many others) should be mandatory reading for all school students - but alas that would go against the main reasons the government school teach historical lies to begin with.
As he points out, the Lincoln cult gatekeepers have been quite successful in keeping the truth under wraps from the public eye, and they surely hope that books like this make little impact on the public view. As I said, I have known many of these facts for decades, and find it so sad that there are so many people who are still so ignorant and deceived about how Lincoln intentionally destroyed this nation from its founding principles and establishment. This book shows how that was the exact intent of Lincoln and his people, and how they sought to do so for decades before his election and the war.
DiLorenzo looks at the early years of Lincoln as an attorney for the major railroads, and the economic goals of his ilk. He examines in detail the economic idea and affects of the tariffs that were fought to get into place, and how those led to the war. Honestly, any body who knows anything about the War Between the States time frame, and still tries to propagate an idea of the war being over slavery is just so sadly deluded, and a good government school bred "citizen."
The author does a great job of giving a brief overview and exposition of the sad attempts by modern "scholars" who continue spewing forth the myths and lies about Lincoln and the socialistic party ideas that have been rebutted and destroyed time and time again by real historians.
If you are so uninformed as to still feel that the war was fought over Southern slavery, or that Lincoln was "the great emancipator" or lover of the black race, or (God forbid) a good Christian man, then this book is a great starting point for you to get some real education. Not only will you get some truth, but you also will get an extensive listing of a wealth of other resource material from other sources that will likewise assist in dispelling the myths of Lincoln and those of the "Lincoln cult" that works so hard today to keep you ignorant.
The author pulls so many other resources into this story, that this becomes not just his opinion, but a good mixture from multiple scholars, showing DiLorenzo is not just delivering his own personal attack on Lincoln. This book (and so many others) should be mandatory reading for all school students - but alas that would go against the main reasons the government school teach historical lies to begin with.
As he points out, the Lincoln cult gatekeepers have been quite successful in keeping the truth under wraps from the public eye, and they surely hope that books like this make little impact on the public view. As I said, I have known many of these facts for decades, and find it so sad that there are so many people who are still so ignorant and deceived about how Lincoln intentionally destroyed this nation from its founding principles and establishment. This book shows how that was the exact intent of Lincoln and his people, and how they sought to do so for decades before his election and the war.
DiLorenzo looks at the early years of Lincoln as an attorney for the major railroads, and the economic goals of his ilk. He examines in detail the economic idea and affects of the tariffs that were fought to get into place, and how those led to the war. Honestly, any body who knows anything about the War Between the States time frame, and still tries to propagate an idea of the war being over slavery is just so sadly deluded, and a good government school bred "citizen."
The author does a great job of giving a brief overview and exposition of the sad attempts by modern "scholars" who continue spewing forth the myths and lies about Lincoln and the socialistic party ideas that have been rebutted and destroyed time and time again by real historians.
If you are so uninformed as to still feel that the war was fought over Southern slavery, or that Lincoln was "the great emancipator" or lover of the black race, or (God forbid) a good Christian man, then this book is a great starting point for you to get some real education. Not only will you get some truth, but you also will get an extensive listing of a wealth of other resource material from other sources that will likewise assist in dispelling the myths of Lincoln and those of the "Lincoln cult" that works so hard today to keep you ignorant.
January 24, 2009
This mentally ill "War Criminal" has become a legend based on historical lies. Revisionist History has served him well.His whole family suffered mental illness and he along with General Sherman are nothing but war criminals in Southern eyes.
February 19, 2019
This was truly an excellent book. A wonderful scholarly piece of literature challenging the convention of what DiLorenzo correctly terms "the Lincooln Cult", also affectionately known as "the Gate Keepers." It is a very succint piece of literature which I enjoyed reading very much.
May 26, 2016
Lincoln was a monster! I am sickened by the education I received growing up. This man is horrible and absolutely should not be seen as a God. What is wrong with people? We need to stand up against the government!
April 6, 2016
Thus far this book is a better read than the previous book I read. This one has more historical details that need investigating. With the Lincoln paper found in the book Types of Mankind two years ago gives more credence to this book and blasts the brainwashing of public school systems. The truth eventually surfaces. I'm enjoying this book more than Did Lincoln Own Slaves?
This is the book explains what the Civil War was really about, (hint it wasn't about ending slavery). If someone thinks Lincoln was the best president in history this book is a great eye opener for truth. This book also explains the bigotry in the north and the free slave state expansion in the west is not what we think/thought it was in their mind/viewpoint. This book also shows the laws Lincoln broke/ignored during the Civil War to get what he wanted; a more powerful federal government at the expense of many lives.
If one attended a public school you probably received the New England version of history on this time period. It's full of lies and fantasy. If you question and use common sense, then research you'll find the truth. The truth cannot be buried forever. This book is a good start to the truth being uncovered.
This is the book explains what the Civil War was really about, (hint it wasn't about ending slavery). If someone thinks Lincoln was the best president in history this book is a great eye opener for truth. This book also explains the bigotry in the north and the free slave state expansion in the west is not what we think/thought it was in their mind/viewpoint. This book also shows the laws Lincoln broke/ignored during the Civil War to get what he wanted; a more powerful federal government at the expense of many lives.
If one attended a public school you probably received the New England version of history on this time period. It's full of lies and fantasy. If you question and use common sense, then research you'll find the truth. The truth cannot be buried forever. This book is a good start to the truth being uncovered.
December 15, 2007
Grain of salt, folks. Grain of salt.
April 7, 2008
The author armed with tons of historic archival sources; not to mention the very words of Mr. Lincoln himself, debunks the Abe Lincoln cult. DiLorenzo does not villafy Lincoln; he only removes the veils of tradition, legend and the civil religion which has made Lincoln a key figure in the national pantheon. Yes, what we have is Abraham Lincoln, not the humble log splitter; but a high powered railroad lawyer, and political player. He was a man of his times; no more,no less. Sadly, when the man becomes bigger than the legend, the practice has been, print the legend; until now that is.
November 20, 2017
An alternate view of Lincoln
I always felt there wasn't something kosher about the myth of Lincoln. I always thought he was a mass murderer so I needed to read this. Book. Well worth it. Clearly shows a hidden in plain sight side of him. Not the fictitious hero we were indoctrinated with. A bit too Libertarian for my taste but the history is very interesting.
I always felt there wasn't something kosher about the myth of Lincoln. I always thought he was a mass murderer so I needed to read this. Book. Well worth it. Clearly shows a hidden in plain sight side of him. Not the fictitious hero we were indoctrinated with. A bit too Libertarian for my taste but the history is very interesting.
May 5, 2020
thoroughly enjoyed this book.
August 23, 2021
Everyone grows up learning about Abraham Lincoln - Honest Abe, the Railsplitter, Father Abraham, the man who freed the slaves, a kind and compassionate man who never wanted to hurt anyone. There's only one thing wrong with all that. It's wrong.
In the first place, whatever else he was, Abraham Lincoln was a highly-skilled, cunning, ambitious politician. People like to point out all the elections he lost, but he won when he had to, including his very first presidential run, as only the second Republican presidential candidate in history. There are plenty of people who've won election after election, always getting into the offices they wanted, but never managed to win the presidency. Lincoln did win the presidential election - and promptly proved, by his actions, that the mythology about him is a crock.
Seven southern states had seceded from the United States - something that everyone had understood was one of the rights of the states from the very beginning, as the near secession of New England, without any bullying threats, proved during the War of 1812 - and the first thing Lincoln did was to study how to provoke a shooting war. The Confederate government sent commissioners to DC to negotiate a peace, but Lincoln refused to meet with them. Napoleon III of France tried to broker a peace, but Lincoln ignored him. Many in the north, knowing that the states had a right to secede, agitated to just let the southern states go. But Lincoln, knowing exactly what would happen, sent in reinforcements and resupply into Fort Sumter, knowing that if the Confederacy was to indeed be a new confederation, it would have to resist the attempt. And indeed the southerners did fire on the fort, which surrendered in due course with no casualties.
But that wasn't enough for Lincoln. Upon learning that the provocation he'd provoked had indeed happened, he immediately called for thousands of volunteers to "put down" what he was pleased to term a "rebellion." It was only then that four more states seceded, refusing to help a man who was showing himself to be a tyrant subdue, by brute military force, states which were exercising their constitutional rights.
And that's just the beginning of Lincoln's offenses. He threw thousands of people in jail not for breaking the law, but for openly disagreeing with his policies. He shut down at least 300 newspapers in direct violation of the first amendment to the Constitution. He issued an arrest warrant - a thing which the president has no power to do - for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court because that judge had ruled against Lincoln in a court case. He sent US troops into Maryland, Kentucky, and Tennessee in order to prevent those states from even holding secession conventions - he not only prevented them from voting on the matter, he prevented them from debating it. He threw into jail a number of politicians in Maryland for that very purpose. He kept close track of the war, supporting and approving of tactics by the United States Army that today we would call terrorism and atrocities. He oversaw the deaths of perhaps a million people - soldiers and civilians - and thought it all perfectly acceptable because he was "saving the Union."
Lincoln's actions actually destroyed the voluntary union of sovereign states that had existed since the American Revolution, and replaced it with a "union" composed of subordinate states, which knew from that moment on that any attempt to exercise their legitimate rights would result in massive, bloody, vicious military force against them. Lincoln destroyed one of the checks and balances that the Constitution had put in place - the balancing of the states against the federal government, the purpose of which was to keep the federal government in its constitutional place. It is from Lincoln's administration that the current massive, bloated, unconstitutional, overbearing, intrusive national government sprang. Lincoln is the man who singlehandedly turned the United States from a voluntary association of states into a monolithic empire ruled by military force from a central location.
But you can get the full picture in Lincoln Unmasked. Thomas DiLorenzo goes into the primary sources to show that whatever you learned about Abraham Lincoln in school, it was almost certainly wrong. Indeed, a lot of what people "know" about Lincoln is pure invention, which someone made up after he was dead. The truth about Lincoln is that he ranks with Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter as one of the very worst presidents of the United States - and indeed, Carter and Obama could never have exercised the unconstitutional power they wielded if Lincoln hadn't bashed and battered the entire country into bloody submission to his whims.
DiLorenzo writes well. He gives the facts. Yes, he does give his opinions, and he doesn't always do so in the boring and bored language of academia. He cares about his subject and he doesn't hide it. He cares about liberty and about the Constitution, and it's only right that he should become heated in presenting the ugly facts about the 16th president of the United States.
In the first place, whatever else he was, Abraham Lincoln was a highly-skilled, cunning, ambitious politician. People like to point out all the elections he lost, but he won when he had to, including his very first presidential run, as only the second Republican presidential candidate in history. There are plenty of people who've won election after election, always getting into the offices they wanted, but never managed to win the presidency. Lincoln did win the presidential election - and promptly proved, by his actions, that the mythology about him is a crock.
Seven southern states had seceded from the United States - something that everyone had understood was one of the rights of the states from the very beginning, as the near secession of New England, without any bullying threats, proved during the War of 1812 - and the first thing Lincoln did was to study how to provoke a shooting war. The Confederate government sent commissioners to DC to negotiate a peace, but Lincoln refused to meet with them. Napoleon III of France tried to broker a peace, but Lincoln ignored him. Many in the north, knowing that the states had a right to secede, agitated to just let the southern states go. But Lincoln, knowing exactly what would happen, sent in reinforcements and resupply into Fort Sumter, knowing that if the Confederacy was to indeed be a new confederation, it would have to resist the attempt. And indeed the southerners did fire on the fort, which surrendered in due course with no casualties.
But that wasn't enough for Lincoln. Upon learning that the provocation he'd provoked had indeed happened, he immediately called for thousands of volunteers to "put down" what he was pleased to term a "rebellion." It was only then that four more states seceded, refusing to help a man who was showing himself to be a tyrant subdue, by brute military force, states which were exercising their constitutional rights.
And that's just the beginning of Lincoln's offenses. He threw thousands of people in jail not for breaking the law, but for openly disagreeing with his policies. He shut down at least 300 newspapers in direct violation of the first amendment to the Constitution. He issued an arrest warrant - a thing which the president has no power to do - for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court because that judge had ruled against Lincoln in a court case. He sent US troops into Maryland, Kentucky, and Tennessee in order to prevent those states from even holding secession conventions - he not only prevented them from voting on the matter, he prevented them from debating it. He threw into jail a number of politicians in Maryland for that very purpose. He kept close track of the war, supporting and approving of tactics by the United States Army that today we would call terrorism and atrocities. He oversaw the deaths of perhaps a million people - soldiers and civilians - and thought it all perfectly acceptable because he was "saving the Union."
Lincoln's actions actually destroyed the voluntary union of sovereign states that had existed since the American Revolution, and replaced it with a "union" composed of subordinate states, which knew from that moment on that any attempt to exercise their legitimate rights would result in massive, bloody, vicious military force against them. Lincoln destroyed one of the checks and balances that the Constitution had put in place - the balancing of the states against the federal government, the purpose of which was to keep the federal government in its constitutional place. It is from Lincoln's administration that the current massive, bloated, unconstitutional, overbearing, intrusive national government sprang. Lincoln is the man who singlehandedly turned the United States from a voluntary association of states into a monolithic empire ruled by military force from a central location.
But you can get the full picture in Lincoln Unmasked. Thomas DiLorenzo goes into the primary sources to show that whatever you learned about Abraham Lincoln in school, it was almost certainly wrong. Indeed, a lot of what people "know" about Lincoln is pure invention, which someone made up after he was dead. The truth about Lincoln is that he ranks with Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter as one of the very worst presidents of the United States - and indeed, Carter and Obama could never have exercised the unconstitutional power they wielded if Lincoln hadn't bashed and battered the entire country into bloody submission to his whims.
DiLorenzo writes well. He gives the facts. Yes, he does give his opinions, and he doesn't always do so in the boring and bored language of academia. He cares about his subject and he doesn't hide it. He cares about liberty and about the Constitution, and it's only right that he should become heated in presenting the ugly facts about the 16th president of the United States.
July 12, 2013
The book is full of information you will NEVER learn about President Lincoln unless you actively seek the TRUTH about the man. I would have given the book 5 stars except Mr. DiLorenzo's writing style is a bit too defensive. He certainly minces few words which is refreshing, republicans and democrats alike are in his cross-hairs. The book is a quick read and I highly recomment it for anyone who would rather know the truth about our American history than just "drink the kool-aid".
April 11, 2018
Much is to be learned once you begin searching for truth, and are willing to look behind the masks 'elites' of every generation perniciously create for mass consumption. DiLorenzo tears away point by point the facade created around Lincoln, exposing a deeply flawed, rather ordinary man - one far from worthy of the greatness bestowed upon him. A surprising, and especially, an educational read.
February 12, 2011
Not as in-depth as his earlier book ("The Real Lincoln"); seems like it's a modernized version, i.e., shorter overall and with shorter chapters, snappier, sometimes using a "Myth/Fact" format, and so forth. The main additions are response to critics and authors in the "Lincoln cult" plus some recommendations of more objective treatments from outsiders.
June 21, 2013
The world loves Lincoln. Here's a book that convincingly demonstrates that the adoration, idolization, and deification is undeserved. After reading Lincoln Unmasked, one can hold no doubt that Lincoln was the most destructive, un-American president in U.S. history.
I prefer DiLorenzo's prior book, The Real Lincoln, for its style. But both books tell an eye-opening history.
I prefer DiLorenzo's prior book, The Real Lincoln, for its style. But both books tell an eye-opening history.
December 24, 2011
Great book that makes the argument that in the Civil War, the North did not fight for “liberty and justice” but for “control of Southern markets”. Much information that I was never aware of and that plays an important part to this day with the US invasion of Iraq.
July 1, 2019
An interesting opposing view to Lincoln lovers. I would really like to see both sides layout their opinions on paper and the supporting evidence for those opinions to determine what was truthfully behind Lincoln's intentions and goals in the Civil War.
June 13, 2020
Great book. Very accessible read.
I've read The Real Lincoln and Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals and can say that there is a cultish aspect to works by Lincoln scholars by how they idolize him and omit or excuse the horrible things Lincoln did.
I've read The Real Lincoln and Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals and can say that there is a cultish aspect to works by Lincoln scholars by how they idolize him and omit or excuse the horrible things Lincoln did.
Read
July 31, 2012More eye opening material on "Saint" Lincoln
January 21, 2014
Great companion to The Real Lincoln. More truth they won't teach you in school.
November 23, 2022
Lincoln: the killer of Jeffersonian Constitution...
POSTED AT AMAZON 2015
...represents the main topic of this short (only 150 pages of text + recommended books/sources) salutary lecture. Large number of educated people realizes today, that Civil War was not about the slaves, but then what was it about exactly?
Using limpid writing and perhaps a bit of histrionics, author impugns/disparages 16th President's convictions, policies, motives for the war, plans, achievements and many other dubious deeds.
Lincoln receives here huge brickbats for:
-in fact not being for slaves at all
-being the first who introduced
protectionism against free trade
national banking scheme
'fiat' money
totalitarian enlarged government
tariffs and taxation
repressive policies
corporate welfare
-suspending the writ of habeas corpus
..in summary for his role negative to "genius of freedom".
Obtuseness of criticism represents large verisimilitude and I cannot accuse author for gerrymandering of any kind.
Reader will find some other interesting unknown facts about 'New Englanders' of this era (Yankees), Scots-Irish confederate soldiers, as well as how slavery existed in the North before and during the war.
No doubt - iconoclastic publication worth to check.
POSTED AT AMAZON 2015
...represents the main topic of this short (only 150 pages of text + recommended books/sources) salutary lecture. Large number of educated people realizes today, that Civil War was not about the slaves, but then what was it about exactly?
Using limpid writing and perhaps a bit of histrionics, author impugns/disparages 16th President's convictions, policies, motives for the war, plans, achievements and many other dubious deeds.
Lincoln receives here huge brickbats for:
-in fact not being for slaves at all
-being the first who introduced
protectionism against free trade
national banking scheme
'fiat' money
totalitarian enlarged government
tariffs and taxation
repressive policies
corporate welfare
-suspending the writ of habeas corpus
..in summary for his role negative to "genius of freedom".
Obtuseness of criticism represents large verisimilitude and I cannot accuse author for gerrymandering of any kind.
Reader will find some other interesting unknown facts about 'New Englanders' of this era (Yankees), Scots-Irish confederate soldiers, as well as how slavery existed in the North before and during the war.
No doubt - iconoclastic publication worth to check.
August 25, 2023
I was tempted to rate this book a 3star because it is not beautifully written and is repetitive, but the power behind the book is how it smashes the myths of Lincoln. I came into this with a typical understanding Lincoln was a rare, moral country boy who through determination beat the city boys at their own game. I bought that he was deeply religious and knew the bible and Shakespeare by heart. Now I see his presidency was all about the tariff. The tariff...I had no idea. This book is very approachable to economic illiterates like me. The writing is clear and convincing. In reading some of the other comments I see the review process has taken on a ideological approach. This book earned a 5-star because it brought truth and dispelled myths, but I don't want to be one of those reviewers who gives 1 or 5 stars depending on politics. Pro tip: the last 2 pages sums up everything quite well.
July 20, 2023
The Real Lincoln was a much better book by this author. The book does get in depth with the details of why he has strong feelings against President Lincoln. All of which are one hundred percent accurate, legitimate reasons to not like him. The suspension of habeas corpus, the targeting of members of the press and even deporting people who opposed him. I would recommend this book only to those looking for an alternate view of the President. I would highly recommend DiLorenzo's other book The Real Lincoln.
April 28, 2020
There isn't a lot of new material here. Most of it can be found in the author's prior work, The Real Lincoln. However, it is presented differently than that work and there are some insights. Either of these books will make you completely reconsider how you view Lincoln and the War of Northern Aggression. This work in particular provides information on numerous other works that researchers will likely find invaluable.
September 10, 2019
Well written and for critical thinkers only.
This book provides an assessment of Lincoln before war. The person before war provides evidence of realistic motives and dismantles myths perpetuated by martyrdom. I highly recommend this book for critical thinkers; it is too inconvenient for others.
This book provides an assessment of Lincoln before war. The person before war provides evidence of realistic motives and dismantles myths perpetuated by martyrdom. I highly recommend this book for critical thinkers; it is too inconvenient for others.
September 11, 2023
President Lincoln wasn't perfect and this is a book that discusses the man behind the myth who turns out to be much less admirable in reality. I enjoyed the eye-opener this book was for me when I read it just after high school and recommend it to any who seek to know the truth rather than the mythology that gets built up around well-known historical characters. A bitter but sweet taste of truth.
July 5, 2018
Another great book uncovering Lincoln's true life and legacy by Thomas DiLorenzo. Makes one see history with the realization that the narrative we are told is often closer to fiction than truth.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews