Table Of ContentL ’
INCOLN S
A
MERICAN
D
REAM
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L ’
INCOLN S
A
MERICAN
D
REAM
Clashing Political Perspectives
Edited and with an
Introduction by
K L. D
ENNETH EUTSCH
and
J R. F
OSEPH ORNIERI
Potomac Books, Inc.
Washington, D.C.
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Copyright(cid:2)2005byPotomacBooks,Inc.
PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyPotomacBooks,Inc.(formerlyBrassey’s,Inc.).Allrights
reserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanymannerwhatsoeverwithoutwritten
permissionfromthepublisher,exceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsembodiedincritical
articlesandreviews.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Lincoln’sAmericandream:clashingpoliticalperspectives/editedbyKennethL.Deutsch
andJosephR.Fornieri.—1sted.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN1-57488-588-X(acid-freepaper)—ISBN1-57488-589-8(pbk.:acid-freepaper)
1. Lincoln,Abraham,1809–1865—Politicalandsocialviews. 2. UnitedStates—
Politicsandgovernment—1861–1865. 3. UnitedStates—Politicsandgovernment—
Philosophy. 4. Politicalleadership—UnitedStates—Casestudies. I. Deutsch,
KennethL. II. Fornieri,JosephR.
E457.2.L839 2005
973.7(cid:2)092—dc22 2005001489
PrintedinCanadaonacid-freepaperthatmeetstheAmericanNationalStandards
InstituteZ39-48Standard.
PotomacBooks,Inc.
22841QuicksilverDrive
Dulles,Virginia20166
FirstEdition
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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C
ONTENTS
Foreword,JeanBethkeElshtain ix
Preface xi
Introduction 1
CHAPTER1:LINCOLN,THEDECLARATION,ANDEQUALITY
LincolntheLiberalStatesman,JamesG.Randall 38
Equality:CommitmentorIdeal,WillmooreKendall 60
EqualityasaConservativePrinciple,HarryV.Jaffa 71
TheHeresyofEquality:AReplytoHarryJaffa,M.E.Bradford 98
Equality,Justice,andtheAmericanRevolution:InReplytoBradford’s
‘‘TheHeresyofEquality,’’HarryV.Jaffa 115
CHAPTER2:LINCOLNANDPOLITICALAMBITION
Lincolnafter175Years:TheMythoftheJealousSon,RichardN.Current 141
Lincolnafter175Years:ConsciousorSubconsciousCaesarism:ACritique
ofRecentScholarlyAttemptstoPutLincolnontheAnalyst’sCouch,
RichardO.Curry 147
TheLincolnLegacy:ALongView,M.E.Bradford 153
Lincoln’sLyceumSpeechandtheOriginsofaModernMyth,MarkE.
Neely,Jr. 162
CHAPTER3:LINCOLN,RACE,ANDSLAVERY
OnlyHisStepchildren:LincolnandtheNegro,DonE.Fehrenbacher 181
InIslesBeyondtheMain:AbrahamLincoln’sPhilosophyonBlack
Colonization,JasonH.Silverman 195
ForcedintoGoryLincolnRevisionism:AReviewofForcedintoGlory:
AbrahamLincoln’sWhiteDream,LucasE.Morel 202
TowardsaNewBirthofFreedom,StephenB.Oates 207
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vi CONTENTS
CHAPTER4:LINCOLN’SDEMOCRATICPOLITICALLEADERSHIP:UTOPIAN,
PRAGMATIC,ORPRUDENT?
AbrahamLincoln:PrincipleandPragmatisminPolitics,T.HarryWilliams 225
OnProfessorDonald’sLincoln,EthanFishman 232
Lincoln’sRevolution,RalphLerner 242
AbrahamLincoln:RepublicanintheWhiteHouse,StephenB.Oates 256
APoliticalSourceofGreatness:LincolnandtheRepublicanParty,Colleen
ShoganandRobertRaffety 264
CHAPTER5:LINCOLNANDEXECUTIVEPOWER
LincolnintheRoleofDictator,JamesG.Randall 278
LincolnandtheConstitution:TheDictatorshipQuestionReconsidered,
HermanBelz 289
LincolnandExecutivePower:RebuttingtheDictatorshipThesis,Jeffrey
CrouchandMarkJ.Rozell 304
AbrahamLincolnandHisCabinet,PhillipG.Henderson 311
CHAPTER6:LINCOLN’SRELIGIONANDPOLITICS
Lincoln’sSecondInaugural:TheZenithofStatecraft,WilliamLeeMiller 333
LincolnandtheProblemofCivilReligion,MichaelP.Zuckert 350
LincolnandtheProblemofPoliticalReligion,BruceP.Frohnen 366
TheReligionofAbrahamLincoln,ReinholdNiebuhr 378
CHAPTER7:LINCOLN,THEUNION,ANDTHEROLEOFTHESTATE
LincolnasanAdvocateofPositiveGovernment,FrankJ.Williamsand
WilliamD.Pederson 393
TheGreatCentralizer:AbrahamLincolnandtheWarbetweentheStates,
ThomasJ.DiLorenzo 398
ForeverWorthyoftheSaving:LincolnandaMoreMoralUnion,Rogan
Kersh 423
WaltWhitman’sAbrahamLincoln,GeorgeAnastaplo 435
CHAPTER8:LINCOLNFOROURTIME
WhatIsanAmerican?AbrahamLincolnand‘‘Multiculturalism,’’Richard
N.Current 455
OnAbortion:ALincolnianPosition,GeorgeMcKenna 463
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CONTENTS vii
Afterword,AllenC.Guelzo 485
Contributors 490
Index 493
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F
OREWORD
Jean Bethke Elshtain
It is said of Lincoln thatthereweremorebookswrittenofhimthananyother
personinworldhistory—saveJesusChrist,whoisnotapersonintheordinarysense
ofthe word.Whetherthis istrue or not,itfits. Lincolnsodominates notonlythe
popularandpoliticalconsciousnessoftheUnitedStates—withbothpartiesclaiming
himastheirrightfulheir—butthatofanyportionofourtroubledglobethatyearns
forpoliticalliberty,thatonecanscarcelyexaggeratehisinfluence.Thishasbeensaid
sooften,andinsomanyways,thatitnodoubtsoundsbanal.Andthis,too,tellsan
important tale. It is almost impossible to say anything fresh about Lincoln, we are
told.
Thisvolumesuggestsotherwise,foritcontainsmuchthatisfresh,bold,andcon-
troversial. The reader will no doubt find illumination, confirmation, and vexation
inequalmeasure.Andthatisasitshouldbe.Lincolnshouldneverbecomeforusa
figurefixedforeverlikeaflyinamber.Hisstoryhasgreatconstancyandextraordi-
naryfluidity.Dependinguponthecontextandtheissue,Lincolntakesondifferent
hues and aspects. Through it all, however, his stature and his greatness come
through. Although a certain fashionable cynicism about Lincoln is rife in some
scholarly circles—he was just another ‘‘racist,’’ say some—such views do not and
cannotstickbecauseLincoln’scomplexitydefiesanysuchcrudechargeorattack.
Lincolnbelievedinthegreatpoliticalvirtues,includingprudence.Oneneedsto
trytodowhatisright—thatgoeswithoutsaying.Butonemustalsodowhatis,well,
doable.Giventheconfigurationofforcesatplay,giventherepertoireofpoliticaland
moralconceptsavailable,givenwherethepublicisandwhereitmightbeledtogo,
the political leader can either barrel ahead and do what is right, damn the conse-
quences,or,morecautiously,trytodowhatisrightwithakeeneyeonthepossible
consequences. The John Browns of this world can rampage and not worry about
takinginnocentlives;moralradicalsandrevolutionists,likeBrownandsomeofthe
radicalabolitionistswhowerequitepreparedtoseethecountrydrenchedinaflow-
ing river of blood and the constitution overthrown entirely, ignore consequences.
Responsiblepoliticalleadersdonotandcannot.Theymaynotgetitright,ofcourse,
foreverypoliticaldecisionismadeinakindoftwilightwiththeunderstandingthat
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Description:Despite the voluminous literature on the central figure in American history, no other book in the field of political science compares to LINCOLN'S AMERICAN DREAM. It addresses comprehensively the overarching themes of Lincoln's political thought and leadership through provocative and divergent inter