Help Lincoln get 10 Millions fans     Like Us!    |     Visit our BLOG!     |    Follow us on   
Receive Monthly E-news:  
From the Founder of the Lincoln Institute
Lincoln at Peoria
The Turning Point
by Lewis E. Lehrman
Book review from author Jay Winik, from The National Review

"Throughout Lincoln at Peoria, Lehrman shows a journalist's eye for the telling detail. [Stephen A] Douglas spoke with 'polished elegance' while Lincoln spoke with a 'thin, high-pitched' voice. Lehrman also demonstrates a scholar's appreciation for the ambiguities surrounding Lincoln. He quotes one womam's asking upon Lincoln's election, 'Is it certain Mr. Lincoln is an uncompromising anti-slavery man?' And finally, Lehrman keenly appreciates the poignancy of his story: We see Lincoln strolling in Springfield with a colleague in 1849, when the friend ruefully observes, 'Lincoln the time is coming when You & I would have to be Democrats or Abolitionists'.

"Lincoln at Peoria is a marvelous hybrid of a book. Beyond the narrative and an extensive analysis of the speech itself, Lehrman draws out the rest of Lincoln's career, his political resurrection and America's political realignment, the coming of the war and Lincoln's surprise election as president, and his presidency itself, never losing sight of that magical moment at Peoria when Lincoln became Lincoln. Lehrman's editorial hand is light, and he is careful to judge Lincoln by the standards of his own day, rather than of ours. He also goes to great lengths to quote succeeding generations of distinguished Lincoln scholars. In this sense, more than simply a fascinating exegesis, Lincoln at Peoria stands as a rich resource for scholars."


Abraham Lincoln's Classroom Feature

A Little Game of Bagatelle A Little Game of Bagatelle

Click for more details



 

Mr. Lincoln and the Founders Feature

Mr. Lincoln and the Declaration


Click for more details

 


Buy Your Copy of Lincoln at Peoria Today
Buy From Amazon.com
Books make great gifts!
For more Lincoln titles visit:

Lincoln At Peoria.com

Mr. Lincoln Visits to Philidelphia
1848 - 1864

Mr. Lincoln Visits to Philidelphia
Pre-Inaugural Visit

Mr. Lincoln Visits to Philidelphia
Funeral Route

Commentary | Background | Historians | Library
The Lincoln Institute is an American History Project of The Lehrman Institute.
Please acknowledge The Lehrman Institute and The Lincoln Institute when using this research.
Official Lincoln Institute Websites:

© 2002-2012 The Lincoln Institute. All rights reserved.

Questions? Contact the webmaster.