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| From the Editor |
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Welcome to the sixth issue of HISTORY
NOW. I am pleased to announce that HISTORY NOW was recently
selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities
for inclusion on EDSITEment (http://edsitement.neh.gov)
as one of the best online resources for education in the
humanities.
This issue focuses on Abraham Lincoln. If George Washington
played the major role in creating the United States, Abraham
Lincoln played the critical role in preserving it. Hundreds
of books have been written about the Illinois rail splitter,
lawyer and politician who rose to become president in
the midst of the great sectional crisis which threatened
to destroy what Washington and his revolutionary generation
had established. The memory of Lincoln permeates our daily
life: his face is on our coins, his monument dominates
the Washington landscape, maps are dotted with towns named
in his honor, and each February we celebrate his birthday
with a national holiday. His words echo powerfully in
our consciousness and few Americans fail to be moved by
the beauty and simplicity of the Gettysburg Address or
the history-changing decision of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Yet, Lincoln had critics in his lifetime, and scholars
too have found much to debate about his career and his
character. For over a century, historians have debated
Lincoln's views on slavery and on religion, taken the
measure of his political ambition, analyzed the continuity
between his words and his deeds, questioned his use or
abuse of wartime powers, and pondered the shape of Reconstruction
and the future of race relations in America had an assassin's
bullet not ended his life. No matter what conclusions
these scholars reach, none deny the centrality of Abraham
Lincoln in preserving our nation and ending its most shameful
practice, slavery.
The complex portrait that emerges offers us, as teachers,
rich opportunities to remind our students that flawed
men and women may nevertheless be great men and women;
that chance and accident share a role in shaping history
as much as intention and planning; that leadership in
a time of crisis is a burden as much as it is a privilege;
and that myths become interwoven with reality when historic
figures are the chosen subjects. This issue of HISTORY
NOW is devoted to exploring these apparent contradictions.
In his essay, “Whitman and Lincoln,” the prize-winning
author David Reynolds shows us the intense admiration
that the radical poet felt for Lincoln. Whitman immortalized
Lincoln and Lincoln’s cause in poems familiar to
us all, including the popular and moving “O Captain!
My Captain.” Next, four Lincoln Prize Winners explore
key aspects of Lincoln’s political career. In his
essay on “Lincoln and Abolition,” historian
Douglas Wilson helps us consider slavery as a political
as well as a moral dilemma for the president. Allen Guelzo’s
“The Emancipation Proclamation: Bill of Lading or
Ticket to Freedom?” offers us a clearer understanding
of the goals that prompted and the strategy that shaped
one of the most important documents in our history. In
“ Lincoln’s Civil Religion” George Rable
examines the controversies surrounding the president’s
religious views and reminds us that even if those views
remain a mystery, his second inaugural address makes clear
that Lincoln embraced mercy and forgiveness rather than
vengeance. Finally, Harold Holzer unravels the myth surrounding
Lincoln’s Cooper Union speech, a speech that catapulted
the Illinois lawyer into the Republican party nominee
for the presidency.
As always, HISTORY NOW accompanies these scholarly essays,
which provide both new interpretations and richer context,
with imaginative and accessible supporting material. You
will find lesson plans that demonstrate effective ways
to bring this material into the classroom. And our Archivist
offers both online and print sources for teachers and
students who wish to learn more. Our special feature for
this issue focuses on interpreting political cartoons
of the Civil War era. It serves a dual purpose, not only
providing vivid images of the controversies of the day,
but also demonstrating how to use visual primary sources
effectively in the history classroom.
It is our hope that this in-depth exploration of such
a complex man during such a critical era in our nation’s
history will spark discussion and debate in your classrooms
and deepen your students’ appreciation of President
Abraham Lincoln.
Carol Berkin
Editor, History Now
Carol Berkin is Professor of History at Baruch
College and The Graduate Center, City University of New
York. She is the author of several books including Jonathan
Sewall: Odyssey of an American Conservative, First Generations:
Women in Colonial America, A Brilliant Solution: Inventing
the American Constitution, and Revolutionary
Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence.
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Editor - Carol Berkin, Associate Editor - Lesley S. Herrmann,
Managing Editor - Karina Gaige, Editorial Assistant - Whitney
Moses, Researcher - Brian Riggs, Designer - Sabina Daley, Archivist
- Mary-Jo Kline, Contributors - Allen Guelzo, John Hallagan,
Harold Holzer, Rosanne Lichatin, Roberta McCutcheon, George
Rable, David Reynolds, Greg Segovia, Douglas Wilson.
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