David Herbert Donald was one of the greatest of American historians. He is known to the public mainly for his 1995 biography of Lincoln. This collection of Lincoln essays first written in the 50's and 60's expand his views of the 16th President.
Chapter One
"Getting Right with Lincoln"
Former Illinois Senator first said that the first task of a politician was to "get right with Lincoln."
Republicans claim Lincoln, but over the decades Democrats too have laid claim to Lincoln.
What startles me in reading this essay is how far Donald goes in showing how Lincoln was so disparaged while he was President. It is as if everyone said the worst things about him, and then, of course, it all changed after he was assassinated.
Having read so many books over the years about Lincoln, it is impossible for me, a layperson, to totally "get right with Lincoln."
Lincoln can be cited on all sides of all issues. No wonder that any politician can claim him. P. 13
Lincoln was non ideological. Had no dogmas.
Chapter Two
"The Folklore Lincoln"
Deals with Lincoln legends, of which there are many.
The Lincoln Cult is almost an American religion. P. 15
The Great Emancipator.
The Great Martyr.
The transcendent rail-splitter. The frontier man. Like Davy Crockett.
The self-made man.
Lincoln the religious.
Chapter Three
"Toward a Reconsideration of Abolitionists"
"Abraham Lincoln was not an abolitionist. He believed that slavery was a moral wrong, but he was not sure 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 his Emancipation Proclamation. Even then his action affected only a portion of the Negroes, and the President himself seemed at times unsure of the constitutionality of his proclamation." P. 31
It's hard for me to evaluate Donald's interpretation of the abolitionists. It seems to me that historians of his generation had a negative understanding of the abolitionists and only lately has the complexity of their motives and their positives been recognized.
Chapter Four
"An Access of Democracy"
Chapter Five
"Education Defective"
Chapter Six
"Herndon and Mary"
Herndon himself seems to be the historical source of friction between these two. The subject by and large does not interest me.
Chapter Seven
"Refighting the Civil War"
The chapter concerns military history, which mostly eludes my comprehension.
Chapter Eight
"The Radicals and Lincoln"
The so-called "radicals" have been a foil for Lincoln for decades and maybe still for Donald. The reputation of the radicals has improved in recent years it seems to me.
Did the radicals desire to implement their program so as to prolong the war if necessary? P. 106
Giving the freedmen the franchise was politically motivated. P. 107
At every turn the Radicals harassed Lincoln. P. 108
In 1865 they were ready frustrate Lincoln's plan for a speedy reconstruction. But weren't they right to do so? P. 108
Donald goes into the complexity of the Radicals. They were not unified in purpose until AFTER the war when Lincoln was gone. Time to let go of the Malevolent Radical. P. 120
Chapter 9
"Abraham Lincoln and the American Pragmatic Tradition"
This is the best chapter in the book.
Lincoln was a true pragmatist; he did not have an ideological axe to grind. He handled issues as they came, making what he thought was the best decision at the time without ideological blinkers.
Was Lincoln a conservative or a liberal? He was certainly in the conservative category.
To people of his day, AL was neither liberal or conservative. He was simply ineffectual. P. 121
He was censured and distrusted by everybody.
Honest and well-intentioned, but weak, lacking in force, and vacillating, lacking in direction.
Showing a lack of determined policy. P. 121
The author takes the position that Lincoln did little to avert a crisis before he took the oath of office. P. 122
He seemed unable to cope with the crisis. P. 122
He seemed disorganized. Cabinet meetings were non -consequential. Every segment of society seemed opposed to him.
"My policy is to have no policy." P. 123
Lincoln reflected a pragmatic tradition in American history. He was not ideological. Consistency meant little.
"The dogmas of the past are inadequate to the stormy present. We must think anew, and act anew." P. 124-25
Lincoln was always anti-slavery, but the author says that he had to act legally and Constitutionally regardless of his personal feelings. P. 125
His famous statement to Black leaders in August 1862 though harsh accurately reflected popular opinion in the country. P. 126
Every problem was unique; each situation had to be decided as it came up. P. 126
He could approach reconstruction with an open mind and an absence of commitment. P. 128
He didn't take his 10% plan too seriously. P. 129 Really?
Okay, so he had an "open-mind" heading into reconstruction. P. 130
The wisdom of his pragmatism can be debated forever. P. 132
Chapter Ten
The chapter shows how in certain places Lincoln extended the power of the executive branch, but in certain areas he was restrained in using executive power.
He and his cabinet never formed a united government. P. 137
He left Congress alone.
He gave his department chiefs complete control.
His view on executive responsibilities reflected the views of the Whig/Republican Parties.
"Thus what Lincoln called his political education helps the puzzling ambiguity of his presidency. Both in strongly asserting his war powers and in weakly deferring to Congress, he was following the Whig creed in which he was raised." P. 147
"As our case is new," he argued, "we must think anew, and act anew." P. 147
Chapter Eleven
"Reverence for the Laws"
Lincoln was a meticulous lawyer and he was proud of his profession. P. 149
He praised Thomas Jefferson. P. 150
"The picture of Abraham Lincoln in the prewar years as an unqualified supporter of reverence for the laws and that of President Lincoln who told his subordinates to follow the forms of the law as far as convenient seems entirely inconsistent, and historians have struggled to find ways to reconcile the two images." P. 154
The Constitution was not a conservative reaction to the radicalism of the Declaration, but rather the Constitution was a fulfillment of the Declaration, or so Lincoln believed. Lincoln's political philosophy was based on the Declaration of Independence. P. 161
Rather than stressing the Constitutional limitations placed on the federal government, Lincoln took refuge in the DOI that preceded the Constitution. P. 161
The emergency powers he assumed during the war was a fulfillment of the rule of law. He reverenced the law by preserving the country. P. 163
Chapter Twelve
"A. Lincoln--Politician"
He had to be a skilled politician to survive the endless attacks. P. 164
The author makes it sound like Lincoln almost acted alone. P. 167
He used the power of party patronage. P. 170
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