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Very Short Introductions #203
Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction
Beneath the surface of the apparently untutored and deceptively frank Abraham Lincoln ran private tunnels of self-taught study, a restless philosophical curiosity, and a profound grasp of the fundamentals of democracy. Now, in A Very Short Introduction, the award-winning Lincoln authority Allen C. Guelzo offers a penetrating look into the mind of one of our greatest presidents.If Lincoln was famous for reading aloud from joke books, Guelzo shows that he also plunged deeply into the mainstream of nineteenth-century liberal democratic thought. Guelzo takes us on a wide-ranging exploration of problems that confronted Lincoln and liberal democracy--equality, opportunity, the rule of law, slavery, freedom, peace, and his legacy. The book sets these problems and Lincoln's responses against the larger world of American and trans-Atlantic liberal democracy in the 19th century, comparing Lincoln not just to Andrew Jackson or John Calhoun, but to British thinkers such as Richard Cobden, Jeremy Bentham, and John Bright, and to French observers Alexis de Tocqueville and Fran?ois Guizot. The Lincoln we meet here is an Enlightenment figure who struggled to create a common ground between a people focused on individual rights and a society eager to establish a certain moral, philosophical, and intellectual bedrock. Lincoln insisted that liberal democracy had a higher purpose, which was the realization of a morally right political order. But how to interject that sense of moral order into a system that values personal self-satisfaction--"the pursuit of happiness"--remains a fundamental dilemma even today.Abraham Lincoln was a man who, according to his friend and biographer William Henry Herndon, "lived in the mind." Guelzo paints a marvelous portrait of this Lincoln--Lincoln the man of ideas--providing new insights into one of the giants of American history.About the Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 30, 2008
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About the author
Allen C. Guelzo
56 books273 followersAllen Carl Guelzo (born 1953) is the Henry R. Luce III Professor of the Civil War Era at Gettysburg College, where he serves as Director of the Civil War Era Studies Program.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 15, 2021
A Man Of Ideas
The year 2009 marked the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, resulting in the publication of a number of short biographies for busy readers of the 16th president, including books by James McPherson's "Abraham Lincoln" and George McGovern's book for the American President's Series, "Abraham Lincoln: The 16th President, 1861-1865)" Unlike these books, which offer an overview of Lincoln's life and achievement, Allen Guelzo's new book, "Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction", published by Oxford University Press is a work of depth. The book spends little time with Lincoln's conduct of the presidency during the Civil War or with Lincoln's personal life. Instead Guelzo's book focuses on Lincoln and the life of the mind. As Guelzo writes in his Introduction (at 8): "This will be a biography of [Lincoln's] ideas." Guelzo is Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and Director of Civil War Studies at Gettysburg College. He has written several other books on Lincoln with a focus on intellectual history.
Although engaged in the most public of professions, Lincoln was notoriously reserved and difficult to get to know intimately. Guelzo explores the books Lincoln read and the ideas which influenced him. Near the end of his life, Lincoln told a journalist that he "was a lover of many philosophical books" including Butler's "Analogy of Religion", John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty", and the works of the early American theologian, Jonathan Edwards. (p. 5)
Guelzo develops two large themes in Lincoln's thought. First, Guelzo sees Lincoln as a product of the Enlightenment, with its faith in progress, human reason, and secularism. Lincoln was a liberal in the classic sense of that much-abused word. Enlightenment liberalism taught Lincoln the importance of human equality and of individual effort. He wanted an activist government which promoted trade and commerce so that every individual would have a chance in life. He did not want people tied by what he viewed as shibolleths of tradition, hierarchy, or authority. In opposition to Jacksonian democracy, Lincoln early became a Whig, and his model statesman was Henry Clay.
The second and later developing theme in Lincoln is a qualification on the first. As shown in his 1858 debates with Stephen Douglas, in the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and in the Gettysburg and Second Inaugural Addresses, Lincoln became convinced that progress and free individual action were insufficient bases on which to build a democracy. Instead, there had to be a basic sense of right and wrong in fundamental matters of human conduct. Lincoln found slavery (if not racism) to be such a matter. He rejected Douglas's contention that slavery was somehow ethically neutral and that its acceptance or rejection should be subject solely to the popular will.
With the vicissitudes of the Civil War, Lincoln moved still further. Although he never joined a church or became a believer in any creed, he seemed to find a sense of transcendence that governed human life. He found that the War was playing itself out over the institution of slavery and the complicity that Americans North and South shared in it. His earlier skepticism and his faith in human reason and progress were qualified, Guelzo suggests, by his cautious belief in providence and some vague form of transcendence. Lincoln thus became the founder of the type of American secular religion that still has broad appeal to Americans of many different persuasions today.
Guelzo's book is organized less as a traditional biography than as an exposition of a set of ideas that shaped Lincoln's thought and actions. This is best evidenced by the chapter titles: Equality, Advancement, Law, Liberty, Debate, Emancipation, and Reunion. For a short work, Guelzo offers a detailed bibliography keyed to the major sections of his studies. Unfortunately, there are no endnotes to document his many quotations and references.
In an Epilogue, Guelzo tries to summarize the nature of Lincoln's achievement. Guelzo tries to show, in his view, what Americans today should learn from Lincoln. Among other things, Guelzo concludes,p. 128
"For Lincoln had, by a long and battle-smoke-stained path, discovered that liberal democracy was not an end in itself, as though merely counting noses was the last word in any political question; nor was it a merely a means that permitted the greatest number to acquire the greatest levels of insipid material contentment. There is evil to be confronted in this world, irrational and spiritualistic as it may sound, and without a willingness to name evil as evil. liberal rationality will stand, hesitating, before the seeming-reasonableness that evil manufactures like a squid's cloud of ink."
We see little of Lincoln the pragmatist in Guelzo's book. But we do see Lincoln as thinker. For all its brevity, this book will be of most interest to readers with a good background in Lincoln. Guelzo has developed his views on Lincoln in other books, including "Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President, "Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America" and "Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America". I learned a great deal from these books and from this "very short introduction" to Lincoln.
Robin Friedman
The year 2009 marked the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, resulting in the publication of a number of short biographies for busy readers of the 16th president, including books by James McPherson's "Abraham Lincoln" and George McGovern's book for the American President's Series, "Abraham Lincoln: The 16th President, 1861-1865)" Unlike these books, which offer an overview of Lincoln's life and achievement, Allen Guelzo's new book, "Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction", published by Oxford University Press is a work of depth. The book spends little time with Lincoln's conduct of the presidency during the Civil War or with Lincoln's personal life. Instead Guelzo's book focuses on Lincoln and the life of the mind. As Guelzo writes in his Introduction (at 8): "This will be a biography of [Lincoln's] ideas." Guelzo is Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and Director of Civil War Studies at Gettysburg College. He has written several other books on Lincoln with a focus on intellectual history.
Although engaged in the most public of professions, Lincoln was notoriously reserved and difficult to get to know intimately. Guelzo explores the books Lincoln read and the ideas which influenced him. Near the end of his life, Lincoln told a journalist that he "was a lover of many philosophical books" including Butler's "Analogy of Religion", John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty", and the works of the early American theologian, Jonathan Edwards. (p. 5)
Guelzo develops two large themes in Lincoln's thought. First, Guelzo sees Lincoln as a product of the Enlightenment, with its faith in progress, human reason, and secularism. Lincoln was a liberal in the classic sense of that much-abused word. Enlightenment liberalism taught Lincoln the importance of human equality and of individual effort. He wanted an activist government which promoted trade and commerce so that every individual would have a chance in life. He did not want people tied by what he viewed as shibolleths of tradition, hierarchy, or authority. In opposition to Jacksonian democracy, Lincoln early became a Whig, and his model statesman was Henry Clay.
The second and later developing theme in Lincoln is a qualification on the first. As shown in his 1858 debates with Stephen Douglas, in the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and in the Gettysburg and Second Inaugural Addresses, Lincoln became convinced that progress and free individual action were insufficient bases on which to build a democracy. Instead, there had to be a basic sense of right and wrong in fundamental matters of human conduct. Lincoln found slavery (if not racism) to be such a matter. He rejected Douglas's contention that slavery was somehow ethically neutral and that its acceptance or rejection should be subject solely to the popular will.
With the vicissitudes of the Civil War, Lincoln moved still further. Although he never joined a church or became a believer in any creed, he seemed to find a sense of transcendence that governed human life. He found that the War was playing itself out over the institution of slavery and the complicity that Americans North and South shared in it. His earlier skepticism and his faith in human reason and progress were qualified, Guelzo suggests, by his cautious belief in providence and some vague form of transcendence. Lincoln thus became the founder of the type of American secular religion that still has broad appeal to Americans of many different persuasions today.
Guelzo's book is organized less as a traditional biography than as an exposition of a set of ideas that shaped Lincoln's thought and actions. This is best evidenced by the chapter titles: Equality, Advancement, Law, Liberty, Debate, Emancipation, and Reunion. For a short work, Guelzo offers a detailed bibliography keyed to the major sections of his studies. Unfortunately, there are no endnotes to document his many quotations and references.
In an Epilogue, Guelzo tries to summarize the nature of Lincoln's achievement. Guelzo tries to show, in his view, what Americans today should learn from Lincoln. Among other things, Guelzo concludes,p. 128
"For Lincoln had, by a long and battle-smoke-stained path, discovered that liberal democracy was not an end in itself, as though merely counting noses was the last word in any political question; nor was it a merely a means that permitted the greatest number to acquire the greatest levels of insipid material contentment. There is evil to be confronted in this world, irrational and spiritualistic as it may sound, and without a willingness to name evil as evil. liberal rationality will stand, hesitating, before the seeming-reasonableness that evil manufactures like a squid's cloud of ink."
We see little of Lincoln the pragmatist in Guelzo's book. But we do see Lincoln as thinker. For all its brevity, this book will be of most interest to readers with a good background in Lincoln. Guelzo has developed his views on Lincoln in other books, including "Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President, "Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America" and "Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America". I learned a great deal from these books and from this "very short introduction" to Lincoln.
Robin Friedman
March 16, 2014
Like, it seems, many people, I saw Spielberg's "Lincoln" and realized that I've never read a Lincoln biography. I know a lot of people who know a lot about Lincoln, and I know some things about him, but I could know a lot more.
For the past year, David Herbert Donald's "Lincoln" has been on my nightstand. I've read about half of it. I find that I keep reading something else instead of it. And that when I do read it, I don't get much out of it. It's impeccably researched and detailed, but I retain nothing.
Now that I have read Guelzo's VSI to Lincoln, I see Donald's problem (and Guelzo's strength). It's not that this book is shorter, though it is. It's that Guelzo (1) writes a narrative, rather than a collection of facts, (2) makes informed judgments, rather than being evenhanded to a fault, and (3) acknowledges the magnitude of his subject without deifying or debunking him. These are all virtues.
I should expand on (3). Biographies of American presidents can fall into the "every action is evidence of His Greatness" category (e.g., Ron Chernow's Washington book, half of the books on Kennedy) or the "you have no idea what a horrible bastard this man was" (e.g., Robert Caro's Johnson series, almost every Nixon bio, half of the books on Kennedy). Guelzo's "Lincoln" doesn't ever praise Lincoln but by the end of the book you know what was special about him and you know what his flaws were. Donald's "Lincoln" does none of the above. It's as if Lincoln was just some guy.
For example, one of my questions going in was "How did this nobody become president?" Lincoln served one term in Congress in the late 1840s. He failed in a bid for the Senate. He was not wealthy but he was well-connected (and how did THAT happen?). He had little formal education and many people thought him odd, ugly, and politically inept. I have read the parts of Donald's "Lincoln" about his pre-presidency life and I have no answers to these questions. Guelzo shows how this happened.
Lastly, the best feature of this book is that Guelzo provides some international context, which I almost never get in any of my American history reading. Guelzo writes about trends in European liberalism, the concerns of the English and French about the US Civil War, and the effect of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny on abolitionists and their sympathizers who worried about race wars. That's fascinating stuff.
For the past year, David Herbert Donald's "Lincoln" has been on my nightstand. I've read about half of it. I find that I keep reading something else instead of it. And that when I do read it, I don't get much out of it. It's impeccably researched and detailed, but I retain nothing.
Now that I have read Guelzo's VSI to Lincoln, I see Donald's problem (and Guelzo's strength). It's not that this book is shorter, though it is. It's that Guelzo (1) writes a narrative, rather than a collection of facts, (2) makes informed judgments, rather than being evenhanded to a fault, and (3) acknowledges the magnitude of his subject without deifying or debunking him. These are all virtues.
I should expand on (3). Biographies of American presidents can fall into the "every action is evidence of His Greatness" category (e.g., Ron Chernow's Washington book, half of the books on Kennedy) or the "you have no idea what a horrible bastard this man was" (e.g., Robert Caro's Johnson series, almost every Nixon bio, half of the books on Kennedy). Guelzo's "Lincoln" doesn't ever praise Lincoln but by the end of the book you know what was special about him and you know what his flaws were. Donald's "Lincoln" does none of the above. It's as if Lincoln was just some guy.
For example, one of my questions going in was "How did this nobody become president?" Lincoln served one term in Congress in the late 1840s. He failed in a bid for the Senate. He was not wealthy but he was well-connected (and how did THAT happen?). He had little formal education and many people thought him odd, ugly, and politically inept. I have read the parts of Donald's "Lincoln" about his pre-presidency life and I have no answers to these questions. Guelzo shows how this happened.
Lastly, the best feature of this book is that Guelzo provides some international context, which I almost never get in any of my American history reading. Guelzo writes about trends in European liberalism, the concerns of the English and French about the US Civil War, and the effect of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny on abolitionists and their sympathizers who worried about race wars. That's fascinating stuff.
November 14, 2023
I enjoy learning about history, but I personally have difficulty following politics. That’s why I gave a 3, very interesting to learn about the road to emancipation.
February 23, 2018
This 128 page biography of Lincoln is extraordinary. It is required reading in the Civil War course I'm taking right now, and I thought it would be boring, but I ended up enjoying it so much that I slowly read and pondered every word. While a lesser book would merely present facts and minutiae about Lincoln's life and presidency, this has a satisfying narrative arc and provides international historical context for his principles and politics.
In addition to explaining the essence of Lincoln in brief, effective form, this book stands above others by providing a philosophical look at the times. Its focus on the history of ideas reveals the state of political liberalism in the 1800s and explains how Lincoln's unique combination of political and moral sensibility developed over time in response to the inadequate rationality of post-Enlightenment politics. The realities of the Civil War killed dreams of unstoppable social progress, and this book powerfully presents how Lincoln wrestled with ideological challenges and developed a theological vision of the war's events to make sense of its chaos.
In addition to explaining the essence of Lincoln in brief, effective form, this book stands above others by providing a philosophical look at the times. Its focus on the history of ideas reveals the state of political liberalism in the 1800s and explains how Lincoln's unique combination of political and moral sensibility developed over time in response to the inadequate rationality of post-Enlightenment politics. The realities of the Civil War killed dreams of unstoppable social progress, and this book powerfully presents how Lincoln wrestled with ideological challenges and developed a theological vision of the war's events to make sense of its chaos.
May 3, 2018
Such a remarkable overview of what formed Lincoln's life and politics. I have read a few books about Abe and have never read one that told me where his ideas and knowledge came from. It also provides insights into slavery and it's abolition that every American should know. If all the Oxford books are this well written and researched then I'll be reading them for the rest of my life.
September 12, 2018
Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Presidents in the history of the United States. For my Civil War class, I had to read this book. While some biographies of Lincoln stretch hundreds of pages, the goal of this particular book was not an exhaustive look at Lincoln’s life, but rather a short glimpse at his thoughts and motivations. Dr. Guelzo mentions that there is very little evidence from Lincoln, as he did not keep a diary as most people did in that day. Therefore, the evidence that we do have come in the form of letters and speeches. This complicates things and makes Lincoln a controversial figure in some respects. Nonetheless, this little book is packed with pertinent information.
For one, I thought it was interesting to see Lincoln’s motivation behind the slavery issue. Dr. Guelzo says that Lincoln got a job early in his life that took him up the Mississippi River to New Orleans. There, he would have seen all the travesties and ugliness of slavery first hand. I also thought it was interesting that Lincoln never had formal education beyond what little grade school he finished. He was a farmer, and when he wanted to become a lawyer, he read books on law and passed the bar. Which leads to the next point which is very interesting as well: leaders ARE readers. Lincoln was scolded for not doing work and instead, reading. He was a vociferous reader and those who diminish this skill need to take a hard look at those who are successful in history.
Also of note was Lincoln’s debates again Stephen Douglas. Douglas, at the time, was one of the greatest politicians of his day. Lincoln debated Douglas and while he lost the nomination, he did put himself out there as a successful orator. When the Presidential race pinned Democrat candidate Douglas against the newly formed Republican party candidate Lincoln, Lincoln won.
Lincoln then led the United States through the most bloody war the nation has ever seen: the Civil War. Lincoln was an able Commander in Chief and sought, at first, to hold the Union together. It is unclear whether he thought that emancipation was the most pressing issue at this juncture. My personal thoughts make me want to believe that Lincoln first needed the Union to be unified before addressing the emancipation issue; Lincoln’s lack of action is sometimes taken as a sign that he did not care about emancipation, but I find the evidence for this lacking. Through a terrible eastern campaign, Lincoln weathered equally terrible Generals, including one George McClellan who was a pro-slavery Democrat fighting for the Union. When General Grant took Vicksburg, he was put in charge of the Army of the Potomac and, with the help of General William Sherman, eventually crushed General Lee to end the Civil War. As most know, Lincoln was tragically killed soon after.
Lincoln is a complicated President. He was able to hold on to the ultimate goal of keeping the Union together. But his complacency with emancipation somewhat tarnishes his legacy. This may or may not be an adequate analysis. But it’s called a very short introduction for a reason. I definitely recommend this book for someone who wants to cut their teeth on the basics of the Civil War.
For one, I thought it was interesting to see Lincoln’s motivation behind the slavery issue. Dr. Guelzo says that Lincoln got a job early in his life that took him up the Mississippi River to New Orleans. There, he would have seen all the travesties and ugliness of slavery first hand. I also thought it was interesting that Lincoln never had formal education beyond what little grade school he finished. He was a farmer, and when he wanted to become a lawyer, he read books on law and passed the bar. Which leads to the next point which is very interesting as well: leaders ARE readers. Lincoln was scolded for not doing work and instead, reading. He was a vociferous reader and those who diminish this skill need to take a hard look at those who are successful in history.
Also of note was Lincoln’s debates again Stephen Douglas. Douglas, at the time, was one of the greatest politicians of his day. Lincoln debated Douglas and while he lost the nomination, he did put himself out there as a successful orator. When the Presidential race pinned Democrat candidate Douglas against the newly formed Republican party candidate Lincoln, Lincoln won.
Lincoln then led the United States through the most bloody war the nation has ever seen: the Civil War. Lincoln was an able Commander in Chief and sought, at first, to hold the Union together. It is unclear whether he thought that emancipation was the most pressing issue at this juncture. My personal thoughts make me want to believe that Lincoln first needed the Union to be unified before addressing the emancipation issue; Lincoln’s lack of action is sometimes taken as a sign that he did not care about emancipation, but I find the evidence for this lacking. Through a terrible eastern campaign, Lincoln weathered equally terrible Generals, including one George McClellan who was a pro-slavery Democrat fighting for the Union. When General Grant took Vicksburg, he was put in charge of the Army of the Potomac and, with the help of General William Sherman, eventually crushed General Lee to end the Civil War. As most know, Lincoln was tragically killed soon after.
Lincoln is a complicated President. He was able to hold on to the ultimate goal of keeping the Union together. But his complacency with emancipation somewhat tarnishes his legacy. This may or may not be an adequate analysis. But it’s called a very short introduction for a reason. I definitely recommend this book for someone who wants to cut their teeth on the basics of the Civil War.
May 9, 2024
Civil War historian Allen Guelzo has written a great Lincoln biography for the “Very Short Introduction” series. He calls this a “biography of his (Lincoln's) ideas” (8) and records the development of Lincoln’s thought from his time as a young lawyer to the President of the United States. Guelzo does a masterful job compacting and balancing the internal intellectual life of Lincoln with the external political events that shaped him into the “Great American Man.” Considering its brevity, it is an outstanding intellectual biography as well as a solid introduction to the life and influence of Lincoln.
Political Economy and Liberalism
Guelzo records Lincoln’s influences in his political thinking first in the books he studied as a young man. The most important books for political economy were:
John Stuart Mill's Principles of Political Economy
Henry Carey's The Harmony of Interests, Agricultural, Manufacturing and Commercial and Principles of Political Economy
Sir Herbert Spencer's Social Statics: or, the Conditions Essential to Human Happiness Specified
Francis Wayland's Elements of Political Economy (Page 5)
For a contemporary mentor, Henry Clay was Lincoln’s model statesman, the “beau ideal of a statesman," who "...From the life of Washington and the teachings of the Fathers of the Republic he imbibed those immortal principles which fired his heart to an honorable emulation and a true patriotism" (36)
Guelzo also portrays Lincoln as the ideal statesman of classical Liberalism. The man who saved the republic from disunity but also as the man who “kept the American republic from following the Bolivarian path of democracy in Latin America and disintegrating into a congeries of petty republican states.” (124)
Further, in line with this theme of classical liberalism, Lincoln viewed economics and economic mobility as the vehicle for equality and social change.
As Lincoln is quoted: "We do not propose any war upon capital…because the accumulation of capital is what permits self-transformation and secures political equality: "we do wish to allow the humblest man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else." (126)
Lincoln on Slavery
Guelzo briefly summarizes Lincoln’s complicated views of slavery and race. Entire volumes have been written on this subject, so only a few dozen pages here is inadequate for a comprehensive explanation. Lincoln’s revulsion to slavery had “multiple roots.” (58)
Among them are:
1. Degradation of manual labor as “slave work” (58)
2. obstruction of the “Free Trade in Ability”, which opposed his political/economic ideals (58)
3. Made the Founders’ claims of the United States being the nation of liberty a hypocrisy (58)
4. Rejection of the natural rights found in the Declaration (79)
Conclusion
This is a fantastic biography about Lincoln. Guelzo does a great job weaving the intellectual development of Lincoln with the major events of his life as well as setting the background of 19th century political thought from which Lincoln was working within. Considering the brief 160 pages from which this book is written, this is an excellent source on Lincoln’s life and his political ideals.
4.5/5 Excellent Introduction to the Life and Thought of Lincoln
Political Economy and Liberalism
Guelzo records Lincoln’s influences in his political thinking first in the books he studied as a young man. The most important books for political economy were:
John Stuart Mill's Principles of Political Economy
Henry Carey's The Harmony of Interests, Agricultural, Manufacturing and Commercial and Principles of Political Economy
Sir Herbert Spencer's Social Statics: or, the Conditions Essential to Human Happiness Specified
Francis Wayland's Elements of Political Economy (Page 5)
For a contemporary mentor, Henry Clay was Lincoln’s model statesman, the “beau ideal of a statesman," who "...From the life of Washington and the teachings of the Fathers of the Republic he imbibed those immortal principles which fired his heart to an honorable emulation and a true patriotism" (36)
Guelzo also portrays Lincoln as the ideal statesman of classical Liberalism. The man who saved the republic from disunity but also as the man who “kept the American republic from following the Bolivarian path of democracy in Latin America and disintegrating into a congeries of petty republican states.” (124)
Further, in line with this theme of classical liberalism, Lincoln viewed economics and economic mobility as the vehicle for equality and social change.
As Lincoln is quoted: "We do not propose any war upon capital…because the accumulation of capital is what permits self-transformation and secures political equality: "we do wish to allow the humblest man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else." (126)
Lincoln on Slavery
Guelzo briefly summarizes Lincoln’s complicated views of slavery and race. Entire volumes have been written on this subject, so only a few dozen pages here is inadequate for a comprehensive explanation. Lincoln’s revulsion to slavery had “multiple roots.” (58)
Among them are:
1. Degradation of manual labor as “slave work” (58)
2. obstruction of the “Free Trade in Ability”, which opposed his political/economic ideals (58)
3. Made the Founders’ claims of the United States being the nation of liberty a hypocrisy (58)
4. Rejection of the natural rights found in the Declaration (79)
Conclusion
This is a fantastic biography about Lincoln. Guelzo does a great job weaving the intellectual development of Lincoln with the major events of his life as well as setting the background of 19th century political thought from which Lincoln was working within. Considering the brief 160 pages from which this book is written, this is an excellent source on Lincoln’s life and his political ideals.
4.5/5 Excellent Introduction to the Life and Thought of Lincoln
June 7, 2025
“This is a biography of his [Lincoln’s] ideas.”
I greatly enjoyed this unique biographical approach to Abraham Lincoln from Allen C. Guelzo. Guelzo is not just a Lincoln scholar, but he is more broadly a Civil War scholar, and he is able to situate Lincoln into the broader philosophical and political context of his period. In light of many portraits of Lincoln that have arisen over the past 150 years or so, Guelzo wants to show us the thought of Lincoln as a child of the Enlightenment who ardently defended liberalism and democracy. Lincoln himself was a great example of liberalism as he was a self-made man. Though born to a farmer family, his prolific reading and desire for advancement led him into a law career and eventually into the presidency. Guelzo captures well the key points of Lincoln’s life. He is able to pack a lot of historical summary into a single sentence, which sometimes makes this a dense read! Guelzo also wants to call the reader’s attention to Lincoln’s vision of democracy for our present period:
“In an era disenchanted with reason, yet incapable of believing in any form of transcendence except the exalted violence of terrorism, Lincoln's liberalism has the aroma of some old medicine, blended and pounded by hand in an alabaster mortar, unused by those accustomed to quicker and more antiseptic remedies, or dismissed by the angry and the anxious who lack all scale of time. But like those antique potions, it may be the only nostrum under heaven that saves us alive.”
Also of interest to me was Guelzo’s discussion on Lincoln’s secularism and his separation from his Calvinist upbringing, but his later reliance on providential and theological language to make sense of the Civil War. Guelzo also defends Lincoln as one who detested slavery and saw the preservation of the Union AS the abolishment of slavery. An excellent read!
I greatly enjoyed this unique biographical approach to Abraham Lincoln from Allen C. Guelzo. Guelzo is not just a Lincoln scholar, but he is more broadly a Civil War scholar, and he is able to situate Lincoln into the broader philosophical and political context of his period. In light of many portraits of Lincoln that have arisen over the past 150 years or so, Guelzo wants to show us the thought of Lincoln as a child of the Enlightenment who ardently defended liberalism and democracy. Lincoln himself was a great example of liberalism as he was a self-made man. Though born to a farmer family, his prolific reading and desire for advancement led him into a law career and eventually into the presidency. Guelzo captures well the key points of Lincoln’s life. He is able to pack a lot of historical summary into a single sentence, which sometimes makes this a dense read! Guelzo also wants to call the reader’s attention to Lincoln’s vision of democracy for our present period:
“In an era disenchanted with reason, yet incapable of believing in any form of transcendence except the exalted violence of terrorism, Lincoln's liberalism has the aroma of some old medicine, blended and pounded by hand in an alabaster mortar, unused by those accustomed to quicker and more antiseptic remedies, or dismissed by the angry and the anxious who lack all scale of time. But like those antique potions, it may be the only nostrum under heaven that saves us alive.”
Also of interest to me was Guelzo’s discussion on Lincoln’s secularism and his separation from his Calvinist upbringing, but his later reliance on providential and theological language to make sense of the Civil War. Guelzo also defends Lincoln as one who detested slavery and saw the preservation of the Union AS the abolishment of slavery. An excellent read!
November 16, 2025
Excellent Overview of Lincoln’s Life and an Overview of 19th Century American Society and Philosophy
This book gives an excellent overview of Lincoln’s professional and political development and how he rationalised his moral beliefs and principles.
It also gives an insight into the ideas and theories that guided early American history. I was surprised to learn that a large number of the American elite were in favour of America becoming an agrarian society with landowners having a prominent role. This was Jefferson’s ideal. This attitude changed after a disappointing performance by America in the War of 1812 and America started to focus on industrialisation. This book also gives an insight into the political scene of America in the early 19th century.
The book shows the advancement of Lincoln’s political career and how through talent and luck he ascended to the presidency. It discusses his moral and political philosophy in some depth. I think there could have been more about how Lincoln coped with the stresses and strains of the Civil War and how he coped with his mental health issues.
Also there are quite a few typos and some of the prose is quite verbose and hard to understand, but overall this book is well worth reading.
This book gives an excellent overview of Lincoln’s professional and political development and how he rationalised his moral beliefs and principles.
It also gives an insight into the ideas and theories that guided early American history. I was surprised to learn that a large number of the American elite were in favour of America becoming an agrarian society with landowners having a prominent role. This was Jefferson’s ideal. This attitude changed after a disappointing performance by America in the War of 1812 and America started to focus on industrialisation. This book also gives an insight into the political scene of America in the early 19th century.
The book shows the advancement of Lincoln’s political career and how through talent and luck he ascended to the presidency. It discusses his moral and political philosophy in some depth. I think there could have been more about how Lincoln coped with the stresses and strains of the Civil War and how he coped with his mental health issues.
Also there are quite a few typos and some of the prose is quite verbose and hard to understand, but overall this book is well worth reading.
February 25, 2023
Certainly no book I have read so far has done such a good job of presenting Abraham Lincoln as a man in his time. The best parts of this book are the ones that trace Lincoln's actions and stated beliefs through their historical context. The structure of the book is great at this: a little bit of biography is always followed by a great deal of explanation. It is certainly very even-handed throughout, but the author's own prejudices still seep in. He refuses to set the stage or closing the curtain without briefly presenting strawman caricatures of modern ideologies he disdains. It's less blatant than a number of newer books on Abraham Lincoln, but it still is there. That said, like all books in this series, it is meticulously researched and clearly explained.
November 3, 2023
Allen Guelzo is one of my favorite historians. He pulls together information in such a way that events are understood in their immediate and long term significance. On top of it all, I don’t think he could be boring if he tried. Lincoln and the Civil War are his specialties and it’s obvious in the is little volume. Who would have believed that he could cover so much ground and provide so much insight on the 16th president of the United States in such a short amount of pages? Upbringing, significance, personality, and politics all come together into a cohesive picture of the great man. This is a wonderful to Lincoln and why he is, rightly, considered one of the most-loved presidents.
February 18, 2024
Great book!!!! Would recommend along with watching the movie Lincoln.
“There is evil to be confronted in this world, irrational and spiritualistic as it may sound, and without a willingness to name evil as evil, liberal rationality will stand, hesitating, before the seeming-reasonableness that evil manufactures like a squids ink… To kill slavery, a democracy had to believe it was wrong — not just inconvenient or unpopular, but wrong.”
“There is evil to be confronted in this world, irrational and spiritualistic as it may sound, and without a willingness to name evil as evil, liberal rationality will stand, hesitating, before the seeming-reasonableness that evil manufactures like a squids ink… To kill slavery, a democracy had to believe it was wrong — not just inconvenient or unpopular, but wrong.”
April 21, 2025
I listened to this in the car after we visited Springfield and toured Lincoln’s home, tomb, and museum. It was a very informative study of the circumstances surrounding Lincoln’s decision-making as president.
November 27, 2023
very much enjoyed this book. short, simple, with insightful segments that contextualize Lincoln in the larger history of America and the world. very cool!
October 11, 2024
Manages to be both a biography and an exploration of Lincoln's ideas (foremost his liberalism and his later spiritual turn) at the same time. As deep as it is accessible.
April 9, 2021
This is, quite simply, one of the best political biographies I've ever read. It really gives you a sense of the man and his place in history.
October 10, 2015
I have read a lot of books about Lincoln. He is a person that deserves to have books written about him. This was a great book. Because it is so short, I only learned a few new things about him. But the real virtue of the book comes from being short. Guelzo had to boil Lincoln down to his essence, so I feel like I got to know Lincoln better from this book, as a president and as a person. The brilliance of the book is shown in these brilliant concluding paragraphs:
For Lincoln had, by a long and battlesmoke-stained path, discovered that liberal democracy was not an end in itself, as though merely counting noses was the last word in any political question; nor was it merely a means that permitted the greatest number to acquire the greatest level of insipid material contentment. There is evil to be confronted in this world, irrational and spiritualistic as it may sound, and without a willingness to name evil as evil, liberal rationality will stand, hesitating, before the seeming-reasonableness that evil manufactures like a squid’s cloud of ink. “Moral principle,” Lincoln reminded his fellow opponents of slavery in 1856, “is all that unites us,” because if mere economic calculation guided democratic choice, then the blandishments of slavery would win every time. To kill slavery, a democracy had to believe it was wrong - not just inconvenient or unpopular, but wrong. No lesser energy would suffice. No lesser energy, in fact, would ultimately ensure “that this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom,” since a new birth was, in evangelical terms, the complete renovation and restoration of a peoples’ dedication to “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” and the only real guarantee that it “shall not perish from the earth.”
In an era disenchanted with reason, yet incapable of believing in any form of transcendence except the exalted violence of terrorism, Lincoln’s liberalism has the aroma of some old medicine, blended and pounded by hand in an alabaster mortar, unused by those accustomed to quicker and more antiseptic remedies, or dismissed by the angry and the anxious who lack all scale of time. But like those antique potions, it may be the only nostrum under heaven that saves us alive.
February 22, 2025
Allen C. Guelzo is a historian at Princeton University in New Jersey. In 2009, Gulezo published a short introduction to the biography of Abraham Lincoln. This book is an intellectual biography of Lincoln. Lincoln’s sons are barely mentioned (Guelzo 56). Mary Todd Lincoln received only a few more pages (Gulezo 49-51). The mission of this book is to be a short intellectual biography. This book does that mission very well. If a reader wants information about Lincoln outside of his intellectual life, readers should read this book along with other books about Lincoln. Gulezo writes, “The biographies of Abraham Lincoln easily outnumber those written about any other individual in the English-speaking world. This will be a biography of his ideas” (Gulezo 8). These sentences are at the end of the introduction (Guelzo 1-8). Many Goodreads reviewers were nervous that Guelzo’s book on Reconstruction would be too partisan. Guelzo is a member of the conservative think tank called the Claremont Institute in California. The only overly partisan comment I came across was when he defined liberalism in the 19th Century and compared his definition with liberalism in the 21st Century (Guelzo 5-6). The book has illustrations and maps. The book has a section on references and an index. The book has a section on “further reading” (Guelzo 135-142). Guelzo’s short biography was a thoughtful and well-done intellectual biography of Lincoln.
Works Cited:
Guelzo, Allen C. 2020. Reconstruction: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. Kindle.
Works Cited:
Guelzo, Allen C. 2020. Reconstruction: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. Kindle.
February 12, 2013
If you are looking for a good but short (as the series name implies) introduction to Lincoln the book does an excellent job at that. It manages to tackle Lincoln in a condensed way that it gives you a good look into what Lincoln was like. Without getting overburdened by the Civil War and the myth making that over the years have started to surround Lincoln.
February 16, 2016
Chapter 1: Equality
Chapter 2: Advancement
Chapter 3: Law
Chapter 4: Liberty
Chapter 5: Debate
Chapter 6: Emancipation
Chapter 7: Reunion
Chapter 2: Advancement
Chapter 3: Law
Chapter 4: Liberty
Chapter 5: Debate
Chapter 6: Emancipation
Chapter 7: Reunion
April 30, 2017
Read for a class on the Civil War at Liberty University.
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