Michael Burlingame

Lincoln's Frontier Background Shapes the Future President (1809-1837) In Chapter 1, we are introduced to Lincoln's lineage and the history of his grandparents, his parents and the various locations in which they settled. But this chapter is mainly devoted to Lincoln's father, Thomas, recounting many of his ventures, personality traits and the intricacies of his relationship with his son. We also learn of his son's childhood experiences, mainly those...

From the Mud March to Gettysburg (January-July 1863) Dissatisfaction with the Emancipation Proclamation and lack of military victory heightens the discontent with the administration. Trouble comes with the destructive rivalry within the army and the threat of the French intervening on behalf of the Confederacy. The president's decision concerning the Minnesota Sioux Uprising infuriates the West. Lincoln must decide what to do with a demoralized army...

From the Slough of Despond to the Gates of Richmond (January-July 1862) Cameron is replaced by Stanton. The president begins to supervise the army and take charge of his administration. Lincoln puts forward his proposal of gradual emancipation with monetary grants to participating states. Many criticize the plan as too expensive. The president proceeds to emancipate the District of Columbia. Lincoln carries out a strategy to replace the social system...

The Rail Splitter Fights For and Wins the Republican Nomination (1859-1860) Pursuing the Republican Nomination (1859-1860) Lincoln's speeches were being published and widely circulated, as he began to practice law again as a means of income. When John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry occurred, Democrats cited this as an example of slave-agitation caused by the Republicans. Lincoln also began to address the southern threat of succession, deeming it an...

A Righteous Lawyer Deals With an Unhappy Marriage (1837-1842) Lincoln's studies lead to him becoming a successful lawyer in Illinois. He is often published anonymously during the political campaign of 1837 and his works include detailed rebuttals against opposing politicians. As a pivotal member of the Whig party, Lincoln openly begins to condemn mob violence and lynching, and begins to publicly denounce slavery in his speeches. This chapter details...

The Fort Sumter Crisis (March-April 1861) Lincoln struggles with William Seward's thirst for power while the Fort Sumter question comes to the forefront of the nation's politics. War has begun. Lincoln hesitates calling a session of Congress amidst fears of interference with the war effort. Needing to defend the capital, he calls for the Union militia. A commander by the name of George B. McClellan is placed in complete control of the Union army....

A Win in Congress and a Battle Against Slavery (1843-1849) This chapter begins with Lincoln's fight for a seat in congress against two other Whig candidates. This part of his life is notably marked by domestic disturbances, many of which shaped people's idea of Lincoln, the man. Taking a pro-tariff stance in his campaign, he is elected to congress in 1846. We learn of his affinity to poetry, which he avidly read and wrote, and see the development...

In a little-noted eulogy delivered after Lincoln's assassination, Frederick Douglass called the president "emphatically the black man's president," the "first to show any respect for their rights as men." Douglass pointed not just to Lincoln's official acts and utterances, like the Emancipation Proclamation or the Second Inaugural Address, but also to the president's own personal experiences with Black people. But Lincoln's description as "emphatically...

"Michael Burlingame is one of the foremost authorities on Abraham Lincoln in the world; as James McPherson wrote in The New York Review of Books, "The author knows more about Lincoln than any other living person." The author or editor of over a dozen volumes about Lincoln, he is the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield. This book represents an abridgement of his magisterial 2-volume...