This volume of essays by one of the greatest Lincoln scholars of our age was first published in the late 40's. This is the third and last edition which I purchased in early 2001. It is worth rereading.
Abraham Lincoln will be reconsidered forever.
Donald writes with verve and humor. I do not remember the humor. Is Donald in the school of thought that claims the Civil War was needless? Most historians follow the lead of their mentor, don't they?
Donald grew up in the Mississippi Delta. Did the fact that he is a Southerner influence his scholarship? No wonder he wrote a biography of Thomas Wolfe!
He did his undergrad work at Millsaps and his graduate work under Randall at Illinois.
He moved from Hopkins to Harvard in 1973.
"Getting Right with Lincoln"
Lincoln can be labeled a pragmatist rather than an ideologue. This fact is usually considered a strength, but can it also be considered a weakness?
It was Everett Dirksen, then an Illinois Congressman in 1948, who said the first talk of a politician was to "get right with Lincoln." This leads to the point that Lincoln's ambiguity allows him to be quoted on both sides of every issue. P. 13
It is impossible for someone in my position, a non-professional historian with limited exposure to primary sources, to get right with Lincoln. I will venture to say that the conclusive biography of Abraham Lincoln has yet to be written.
"The Folklore Lincoln"
"The Lincoln cult is almost an American religion." P. 15
". . . the limbo of of lost souls, the history books." P. 16
The author recounts what he calls the "folklore Lincoln" ranging from Southern falsehoods, Lincoln the leader of the Northern Aggression, to the accounts of Herndon and Northern deification
The author makes the astounding claim that the folklore Lincoln is more important than the historical Lincoln. P. 30
For me what Lincoln actually did, subject to interpretation, is the important thing. Donald seems to put Lincoln the Emancipator into the category of folklore since technically it did not free any slaves. Perhaps the great scholar did not understand the significance of the Emancipation.
"Toward a Reconsideration of Abolitionists"
"Abraham Lincoln was not abolitionist. He believed that slavery was a moral wrong, but he did not know how to right it. When elected President, he was pledged to contain, not to extirpate, the South's peculiar institution. Only after offers of compensation to slaveholders had failed and after military necessities had become desperate did he issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Even then his actions affected on a portion of the Negroes, and the President himself seemed at times unsure of the constitutionality of his proclamation." P. 31
What Donald fails to mention is that yes, Lincoln was pledged to contain, not to extirpate slavery, but his campaign to contain was understood to lead eventually to extirpation.
The author tries to puzzle out why abolitionism suddenly flared up in the 1830's. P. 36
Abolitionism of the 1830's was primarily a New England phenomenon. P. 37
The author's description of abolitionists as New England conservatives, which I do not understand, is disturbing. P. 41
Reform gave meaning to this displaced social elite. P. 42
"An Excess of Democracy"
Donald goes far afield, common in Civil War historiography, in discussing the "causes" of the Civil War.
In a wide-ranging riff he talks about social mobility in 19th Century America: fascinating stuff to be sure, but it has nothing to do with the Civil War. Tight-fisted Thomas Sutpen and his unscrupulous rise from a hard scrabble life to the planter class is the example of Southern mobility. Sutpen was a more typical Southerner than Robert Edward Lee.
As I read this chapter as the author talks about the dynamic US of the 19th Century with upward social mobility and a protected country of plenty, it is striking how he is writing about white America, and this in a chapter talking about the causes of the Civil War!
Donald goes on and on giving us his view of bynamic 19th Century America. At least the white version. Yet what does this have to do with the coming of the Civil War? P. 58
(I wake up on this Sunday morning the 13th thinking I've come full circle with the ability to intelligently disagree with the great David Herbert Donald)
"Education Defective"
Lincoln made a political asset out of his lack of formal education.
Mary never get him to read fiction, though he was fond of Shakespeare, wasn't he?
To sharpen his mind he mastered Euclid. P. 72
Despite his lack of formal education, Lincoln ultimately considered himself the equal of any man including Sumner and Chase who were highly educated. He thought his personal education had better prepared him to lead the nation thru the war. He did not try to conceal his confidence. Hay said said that Chase and Sumner could never forgive Lincoln for his arrogance. P. 74
"Herndon and Mary Lincoln"
The negativity that surrounds Mary Lincoln and her husband comes from one man: Billy Herndon. P. 75
Herndon could never quite figure Lincoln out. Was he manic-depressive? His conclusion was that Lincoln's oscillating moods came from his wife. P. 77
"She was the wife Lincoln needed." P. 84
The subject of the Lincoln's marriage does not interest. Overall Donald paints a favorable picture of the union. P. 88
"Refighting the Civil War"
Military history does not interest me. Donald goes into detail about the military thinking of the Civil War generals. Go to it. I am not into this.
He does say that J.G. Randall said McClellan was the greatest Civil War general. Randall must alone in this conclusion.
Some historian should write a book on refighting the Civil War in all of its possible permutations right up to the present day.
"The Radicals and Lincoln"
The Lost Cause won in the history books what it couldn't win on the battle field. P. 104
When Donald was writing this essay perhaps the Radical Republicans were his enemy. Perhaps he would have clashed with them vociferously. But now I don't think the Radicals have such a bad reputation. They are the heroes, right?
The author tears into the Radicals. I have never read anything like this before. Yowzer! P. 108
"Whig in the White House"
There is abundant evidence that Lincoln dramatically extended executive power. P. 134
Donald enlightens me as to how Lincoln expanded executive power. Wow! P. 136
Yet Lincoln showed remarkable deferment to Congress. He had nothing to do with the Morrill Act or most other significant laws enacted during his tenure. P. 137
Little had no interest in domestic financial matters like floating bonds and an income tax. P. 138
If Lincoln had little to do with foreign relations, does Seward deserve the credit for keeping Europe from recognizing the CSA? P. 138
Conclusion
The author begins with the concept of "getting right with Lincoln." For the interested layman such as myself, this is a difficult task. The Lincoln literature is unending, and it is almost impossible to come to any firm conclusions.
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