| Edition |
First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition. |
| Description |
x, 354 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm |
| Summary |
"A groundbreaking, revelatory history of Abraham Lincoln's plan to secure a just and lasting peace after the Civil War-a vision that inspired future presidents as well as the world's most famous peacemakers, including Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a story of war and peace, race and reconciliation"-- Provided by publisher. |
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As the tide of the Civil War turned in the spring of 1865, Abraham Lincoln took a dangerous two-week trip to visit the troops on the front lines accompanied by his young son, seeing combat up close, meeting liberated slaves in the ruins of Richmond, and comforting wounded Union and Confederate soldiers. The power of Lincoln's personal example in the closing days of the war offers a portrait of a peacemaker. He did not demonize people he disagreed with. He used humor, logic, and scripture to depolarize bitter debates. Balancing moral courage with moderation, Lincoln believed that decency could be the most practical form of politics, but he understood that people were more inclined to listen to reason when greeted from a position of strength. Ulysses S. Grant's famously generous terms of surrender to General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox that April were a direct expression of the president's belief that a soft peace should follow a hard war. While his assassination sent the country careening off course, Lincoln's vision would be vindicated long after his death, inspiring future generations in their own quests to secure a just and lasting peace. As US General Lucius Clay, architect of the post-WWII German occupation, said when asked what guided his decisions: "I tried to think of the kind of occupation the South would have had if Abraham Lincoln had lived." Lincoln and the Fight for Peace reveals how Lincoln's character informed his commitment to unconditional surrender followed by a magnanimous peace. Even during the Civil War, surrounded by reactionaries and radicals, he refused to back down from his belief that there is more that unites us than divides us. But he also understood that peace needs to be waged with as much intensity as war. Lincoln's plan to win the peace is his unfinished symphony, but in its existing notes, we can find an anthem that can begin to bridge our divisions today. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-336) and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction -- Section 1: With malice toward none -- Section II: Unconditional surrender: Lincoln at war. Black in blue and gray -- Father Abraham on the front lines -- Lincoln and the kittens -- Peacemakers on the River Queen -- The ghosts of Petersburg -- Section III: A magnanimous peace: Lincoln and the fall of Richmond. Inside the Confederate White House -- Conversations with the enemy -- Dixie and Macbeth -- Section IV: Appomattox and the art of peace. "We are all Americans" -- Lincoln's last speech -- Good Friday, 1865 -- Section V: Reconstruction: a tragedy in three acts. The anti-Lincoln -- USA vs. KKK -- The star-spangled banner -- Section VI: The fight for peace. Woodrow Wilson's lost cause -- Deploying the Lincoln legend -- A plan to win the peace -- Denazification and democratization -- MacArthur and the emperor -- "The golden rule for world peace" -- Conclusion. |
| Subject |
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Influence.
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Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Military leadership.
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United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Peace.
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Civil-military relations -- United States -- History -- 19th century.
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HISTORY / United States / General.
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Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865. (OCoLC)fst00030184
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Civil-military relations. (OCoLC)fst00862889
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Command of troops. (OCoLC)fst00869220
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Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.) (OCoLC)fst00972484
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Peace. (OCoLC)fst01055758
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United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155
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American Civil War (United States : 1861-1865) (OCoLC)fst01351658
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| Chronological Term |
1800-1899
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| Genre/Form |
History. (OCoLC)fst01411628
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Biographies.
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| Added Title |
Lincoln & the fight for peace |
| ISBN |
9781982108120 (hardcover) |
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1982108126 (hardcover) |
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9781982108144 (ebook) |
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