As I finished watching a documentary on Abraham Lincoln and began one on Ulysses S. Grant, I found myself thinking about Lincoln’s judgement and the harsh criticism received in quarters for not replacing Grant. Today, Grant is remembered as one of the Union’s most successful generals. During the war, however, many people wanted him removed.Continue reading “The Quality Lincoln Valued Most”
Tag Archives: politics
The Speech That Helped Make Abrham Lincoln President
When we look back at Abrahma Lincon’s life, it is easy to assume that his rise to the prsidency was inevitable. It wasn’t. Lincoln experienced political defeats, business failures, and years of uncertainty before he became a national figure. For much of his career, he was known primarily as an Illinois lawyer and plitician. OneContinue reading “The Speech That Helped Make Abrham Lincoln President”
Why Abraham Lincoln Feared the Breakdown of Civilization
As I follow Abraham Lincoln’s life and work on my novel, there is one idea that keeps appearing again and again in his early thinking: the fear that civilization itself could begin to unravel. Lincoln lived during a period of growing instability in the United States. Mob violence, political anger, and deepening sectional divisions wereContinue reading “Why Abraham Lincoln Feared the Breakdown of Civilization”
Why Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Speech Still Matters
One of the moments that I refer to in my study of Abraham Lincoln is the Lyceum Address. At the time, Lincoln was still a new young lawyer and politician in Illinois. He was not yet the national figure history would later remember. But in this speech, it is possible to see the beginnings ofContinue reading “Why Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Speech Still Matters”
The View From The Imaginarium 