What do you think?
Rate this book
On Hallowed Ground: Abraham Lincoln and the Foundations of American History
Contests the validity of Marxist and poststructuralist theory in a review of the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2000
2 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
John Patrick Diggins
24 books9 followersJohn Patrick Diggins was a professor of history at the City University of New York Graduate Center, the author of more than a dozen books on widely varied subjects in American intellectual history.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 15, 2024
Our Philosopher-President
Originally published in 2000, Professor John Diggins' book, "On Hallowed Ground: Abraham Lincoln and the Foundations of American History", has been reissued in paperback. I read and reviewed this book in 2001, but returned to think about the book upon reading Gordon Wood's review, titled "History as Cultural Criticism", of Diggins' book. Wood's review is available in his book, "The Purpose of the Past: Reflections on the Uses of History."
Wood criticizes Diggins for writing cultural criticism under the guise of history. Wood also showed sympathy for Diggins' endeavor and described him as "a prolific and powerful critic and one of our most distinguished public intellectuals." (p 276) I revisited my review of Diggins to see how my thoughts compared with Wood's. After doing so, and seeing that Diggins' book had been reissued, I thought it worthwhile to reprint my original review here, under the reissued title. Thus, the remainder of this review consists of my Amazon review of 2001 of the original edition of Diggins' study.
Professor John Diggins's study is part history, part philosophy, and part polemic. The title of the book suggests a study of Abraham Lincoln and his impact on American values. The exploration of this subject alone is a formidable task, but Professor Diggins adds to it with his discussions of the American Revolution, the political philosophy of Locke, the observations on American character of de Tocqueville, the political economic theorizing of Veblen and Weber, the studies of American liberalism by Louis Hartz, and much more.
Professor Diggins argues against those scholars who see Lincoln exclusively as a pragmatic politician and claims that our Sixteenth President sought a foundational, non-relativistic source for our political values in the principle that all men are created equal, and in the right of all to work and to strive to own property and to better themselves. Lincolns' philosophy, Diggins claims, had its roots in the Declaration of Independence and in Lockean ideas. His reading of Lincoln is supported by discussions of numerous speeches and writings, most of which can be found in the wonderful two-volume Library of America edition of Lincoln's writings.
The broad targets of Professor Diggins's book are philosophical relativists. Much of the book, however, is devoted to a polemic against modern multiculturalism and deconstruction. Lincoln, the philosophy of consensus (one shared broadly by Americans irrespective of their interest group, race, sex, status), and the value of work motivated by material self-interest are defended as an integral part of the American vision, striven for by all and, paradoxically, expanding the scope of our liberties.
The book suffers, I think, from being overly ambitious and from its structure. The arguments are unduly repetitive and this, I think, hinders Professor Diggins from developing them with the depth they deserve. The book strays too far from Lincoln. While much of the discussion of other figures in the book is valuable and illuminating, particularly the discussion of Professor Hartz and of the Federalists, it moves too far from Lincoln or, more precisely, it gives the book a loose free-wheeling character with ideas suggested rather than sufficiently developed. Similarly, Professor Diggins' criticism of multiculturalism, with which I greatly sympathize, is not well integrated with the rest of the book. It is simply too much to do a political polemic, a study of Lincoln, and a treatment of American intellectual history in a single, relatively short volume.
These quibbles to one side, the work is well worth reading. It explores our American heritage, challenges prevailing orthodoxies and offers much for further study and reflection. This is a worthwhile exploration of important issues in the nature of our precious American experience.
Robin Friedman
Originally published in 2000, Professor John Diggins' book, "On Hallowed Ground: Abraham Lincoln and the Foundations of American History", has been reissued in paperback. I read and reviewed this book in 2001, but returned to think about the book upon reading Gordon Wood's review, titled "History as Cultural Criticism", of Diggins' book. Wood's review is available in his book, "The Purpose of the Past: Reflections on the Uses of History."
Wood criticizes Diggins for writing cultural criticism under the guise of history. Wood also showed sympathy for Diggins' endeavor and described him as "a prolific and powerful critic and one of our most distinguished public intellectuals." (p 276) I revisited my review of Diggins to see how my thoughts compared with Wood's. After doing so, and seeing that Diggins' book had been reissued, I thought it worthwhile to reprint my original review here, under the reissued title. Thus, the remainder of this review consists of my Amazon review of 2001 of the original edition of Diggins' study.
Professor John Diggins's study is part history, part philosophy, and part polemic. The title of the book suggests a study of Abraham Lincoln and his impact on American values. The exploration of this subject alone is a formidable task, but Professor Diggins adds to it with his discussions of the American Revolution, the political philosophy of Locke, the observations on American character of de Tocqueville, the political economic theorizing of Veblen and Weber, the studies of American liberalism by Louis Hartz, and much more.
Professor Diggins argues against those scholars who see Lincoln exclusively as a pragmatic politician and claims that our Sixteenth President sought a foundational, non-relativistic source for our political values in the principle that all men are created equal, and in the right of all to work and to strive to own property and to better themselves. Lincolns' philosophy, Diggins claims, had its roots in the Declaration of Independence and in Lockean ideas. His reading of Lincoln is supported by discussions of numerous speeches and writings, most of which can be found in the wonderful two-volume Library of America edition of Lincoln's writings.
The broad targets of Professor Diggins's book are philosophical relativists. Much of the book, however, is devoted to a polemic against modern multiculturalism and deconstruction. Lincoln, the philosophy of consensus (one shared broadly by Americans irrespective of their interest group, race, sex, status), and the value of work motivated by material self-interest are defended as an integral part of the American vision, striven for by all and, paradoxically, expanding the scope of our liberties.
The book suffers, I think, from being overly ambitious and from its structure. The arguments are unduly repetitive and this, I think, hinders Professor Diggins from developing them with the depth they deserve. The book strays too far from Lincoln. While much of the discussion of other figures in the book is valuable and illuminating, particularly the discussion of Professor Hartz and of the Federalists, it moves too far from Lincoln or, more precisely, it gives the book a loose free-wheeling character with ideas suggested rather than sufficiently developed. Similarly, Professor Diggins' criticism of multiculturalism, with which I greatly sympathize, is not well integrated with the rest of the book. It is simply too much to do a political polemic, a study of Lincoln, and a treatment of American intellectual history in a single, relatively short volume.
These quibbles to one side, the work is well worth reading. It explores our American heritage, challenges prevailing orthodoxies and offers much for further study and reflection. This is a worthwhile exploration of important issues in the nature of our precious American experience.
Robin Friedman
Displaying 1 of 1 review