Lincoln in Text and Context: Collected Essays

This book contains a collection of essays on Lincoln and the Civil War, divided in three parts. Part I, "Years of Crisis," covers such subjects as the Mexican War, Lincoln's Galena speech, the political uses of the post office, Lincoln's relations with the mayor of Chicago, and his nomination and election as President. Part II, "The War Years," includes essays on Lincoln and the question of race, his attitude toward the Constitution, how he fits into the history of freedom, his reconstruction strategy and purpose, and the broad historical meaning of his death. Part III, "Images of Lincoln," considers his changing image in American historiography, the anti-Lincoln strain in American thought, how he is treated by practitioners of psychohistory and historical fiction, and difficulties in interpreting what he said. ISBN 0-8047-1329-4: $37.50.