Lincoln's American Dream: Clashing Political Perspectives

513 Pages·2005·3.12 MB·English

by  Kenneth L. Deutsch

L ’
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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