First published 2009
Abraham Lincoln begins life as the son of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks in rural Kentucky. McPherson follows his subject through childhood moves to Indiana and Illinois, where young Lincoln develops into a successful lawyer. The future president marries Mary Todd after competing with Stephen A. Douglas for her affections. Lincoln serves one term in Congress before emerging as leader of the Republican anti-slavery movement. His famous debates with Douglas, now a political rival, propel him toward the 1860 presidential nomination. Once elected, Lincoln assumes the role of Commander in Chief as the nation splits apart. He navigates the Civil War while crafting the Emancipation Proclamation. John Wilkes Booth's assassination cuts short his presidency, but Lincoln's legacy endures. McPherson examines why this man of humble beginnings became an enduring American hero who preserved the Union and abolished slavery during the country's greatest crisis.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction, political-drama
Setting: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky
Period: 19th-century
79 pages · Hardcover · Oxford University Press