Description:
How Lincoln's vision of the American system made it worthy of the ultimate sacrifice of over 750,000 lives to preserve it.
Brief description:
Michael P. Zuckert is Nancy R. Dreux Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of several books including Natural Rights and the New Republicanism, The Natural Rights Republic, and, also from Kansas, Launching Liberalism: On Lockean Philosophy.
Review Quotes:
"Michael Zuckert has assembled a remarkable group of scholars whose grasp of Lincoln's principles and practices is matched by their deft understanding of ancient and modern conceptions of statesmanship. These insightful essays restore both the notion of democratic statesmanship to its proper place and Lincoln's status as a statesman. This collection is a must-read for students of American political thought and serves as a reminder that democracies can produce leaders who appeal to the better angels of our nature."--Stephen F. Knott, author of The Lost Soul of the American Presidency: The Decline into Demagoguery and the Prospects for Renewal
"This collection of original essays provides new insights and perspectives on Lincoln's moral and democratic principles, often contrasting these with prominent contemporaries like Stephen Douglas and Henry Clay. In a thoughtful introduction, Professor Zuckert defines the qualities that constitute statesmanship. The essays in the book demonstrate that only Lincoln passed the test of true statesmanship."--William C. Harris, author of Lincoln's Rise to the Presidency and Lincoln and the Border States: Preserving the Union
"This is a valuable, learned, and timely exploration of the often nebulous concept of statesmanship and its application to Abraham Lincoln's life and career. These essays represent an impressive cross-section of scholarship and research, carefully and deftly exploring themes ranging from his ideas about the Union and slavery to his conception of battlefield death. Michael Zuckert and his fellow contributors have performed a vital service; Lincoln and Democratic Statesmanship is an impressive contribution to Lincoln studies and American political history generally."--Brian R. Dirck, author of Abraham Lincoln and White America