Lincoln and the politics of slavery : the other Thirteenth Amendment and the struggle to save the union

The Resource Lincoln and the politics of slavery : the other Thirteenth Amendment and the struggle to save the union

Label

Lincoln and the politics of slavery : the other Thirteenth Amendment and the struggle to save the union

Title remainder

the other Thirteenth Amendment and the struggle to save the union

Statement of responsibility

Daniel W. Crofts

Language

eng

Summary

"In this landmark book, Daniel Crofts examines a little-known episode in the most celebrated aspect of Abraham Lincoln's life: his role as the "Great Emancipator." Lincoln always hated slavery, but he also believed it to be legal where it already existed, and he never imagined fighting a war to end it. In 1861, as part of a last-ditch effort to preserve the Union and prevent war, the new president even offered to accept a constitutional amendment that barred Congress from interfering with slavery in the slave states. Lincoln made this key overture in his first inaugural address. Crofts unearths the hidden history and political maneuvering behind the stillborn attempt to enact this amendment, the polar opposite of the actual Thirteenth Amendment of 1865 that ended slavery. This compelling book sheds light on an overlooked element of Lincoln's statecraft and presents a relentlessly honest portrayal of America's most admired president. Crofts rejects the view advanced by some Lincoln scholars that the wartime momentum toward emancipation originated well before the first shots were fired. Lincoln did indeed become the "Great Emancipator," but he had no such intention when he first took office. Only amid the crucible of combat did the war to save the Union become a war for freedom."--Jacket

Cataloging source

NcU/DLC

Dewey number

973.7092

Government publication

government publication of a state province territory dependency etc

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

LC call number

E457.2

LC item number

.C935 2016

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography

Series statement

Civil War America

Context

Context of Lincoln and the politics of slavery : the other Thirteenth Amendment and the struggle to save the union

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