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csd17's review
4.0
Written for a generation before the internet and Doris Kearns Goodwin.
It had the following effects on me:
1. It really made me appreciate Team of Rivals. All the sources and letters and notes that she must have sorted through are not among his most popular.
2. It also deepened my appreciation of Lincoln as a student and as a human being who would admit to his own mistakes.
3. The notes from the editor really confirmed to me that we struggle with a positive bias towards some past figures. Not that Lincoln didn't do good things. But the editor, for the most part, seemed to deliberately choose letters and speeches that displayed him at his best.
4. There were some that showcased his humor. If they exist, I would have liked more.
5. The parallels to today were plentiful. Do human beings +politics ever create a different result?
6. Lincoln's religious views are often up for debate. I maintain that it is impossible to decide. Sure there are the oft-quoted lines regarding his doubt. But would a man of his familiarity with language really need to resort to scripture so often? It is hard to believe that he is, as most politicians do, only using them to curry favor. Especially when he often does the opposite. My conclusion is that there is, and always will be, for me, a big question mark over the topic of his true thoughts on religion (And I say the same for Washington).
It had the following effects on me:
1. It really made me appreciate Team of Rivals. All the sources and letters and notes that she must have sorted through are not among his most popular.
2. It also deepened my appreciation of Lincoln as a student and as a human being who would admit to his own mistakes.
3. The notes from the editor really confirmed to me that we struggle with a positive bias towards some past figures. Not that Lincoln didn't do good things. But the editor, for the most part, seemed to deliberately choose letters and speeches that displayed him at his best.
4. There were some that showcased his humor. If they exist, I would have liked more.
5. The parallels to today were plentiful. Do human beings +politics ever create a different result?
6. Lincoln's religious views are often up for debate. I maintain that it is impossible to decide. Sure there are the oft-quoted lines regarding his doubt. But would a man of his familiarity with language really need to resort to scripture so often? It is hard to believe that he is, as most politicians do, only using them to curry favor. Especially when he often does the opposite. My conclusion is that there is, and always will be, for me, a big question mark over the topic of his true thoughts on religion (And I say the same for Washington).
savaburry's review
4.0
I have always had conflicting thoughts on Abraham Lincoln. He freed the slaves, not out of want, but out of necessity, which never sat well with me looking through my 21st century tinted glasses. Reading his writings helped me understand the dire situation he was in during the war, the decisions he made, and where he morally stood (as best I can).
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