Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times

Abe is a biography of Lincoln that takes great effort to place him within his time. There are aspects of his life that may seem peculiar to us today that would have been relatively normal in his day. There are also "normal" parts of his life that were quite exceptional in his time.

The book portrays Lincoln in a positive light. He grew up in both slave and free states. He was poor, but not too different from most of the frontier settlers of his day. He was a storyteller and a jokester and worked hard to be a peacemaker and get along with everybody. He was strong and engaged in plenty of manual labor, while also being an avid reader. 

It was not uncommon for people to have seemingly incompatible views. Many ardent abolitionists did not actually want to live with the freed slaves. They would prefer to keep them out of their communities, or set up their own societies in Central America or Africa. There were also many preachers who would preach temperance and the evils of alcohol, before returning home to get drunk.

Lincoln rarely drank, yet he was not a complete teetotaler. He believed in the equality of opportunity for everybody, yet was not an ardent abolitionist. (He was even ahead of his time on women's rights.) He saw the arguments of people on both sides. He would structure his speeches to provide his view without offending others 

Entertainment options were also different in the day. Political speeches and campaigns were a prime source of entertainment, and may be accompanied by alcohol. Theaters when available would draw a crowd. (And Lincoln was quite fond of the theater.) A good storyteller like Lincoln could also attract local attention.

The racial and slavery issues of the day were complex. Both the south and the north used the framing documents of the United States to advocate their cause. The north eventually enlisted a large number of freed slaves in the military. However, these troops were paid less than their white counterparts and usually led by white leaders.

The government of the day was much simpler than it was today. Each state had much greater autonomy. Lincoln had started a number of progressive policies that seem common today. Income tax for the wealthy and national parks both had their roots under Lincoln.

Lincoln sought out compromise. His former rivals were often given key places in his administration. He even reached across party lines. the Republican party of the day was a new, radically progressive party. Just aligning himself with the party set him apart. He adopted much more centrist policies and worked to get things done in a way that could make all happy.

His family life had played a roll in his political experience. He had family members that fought on both sides of the civil war. His wife came from a well-established family and had strong ambitions of her own. He suffered from the loss of many family members.

What would have happened to the United States if Lincoln had not been assassinated? Would he have struggled with the challenges of reconstruction? Or would he have helped unite the country in a way that would have eliminated the need for future civil rights movements? We will never know.