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| From the Editor |
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Abraham Lincoln is surely the most revered and admired
president in our national history. As we look forward
to the bicentennial of President Lincoln’s birthday
in 2009, History Now is fortunate to have four
leading Lincoln scholars giving us their thoughts on the
man who preserved the Union and took the first critical
steps toward ending slavery in the United States. Taken
together, these essays offer us a new lens through which
to view the man, his political philosophy, his deeds,
and his legacy. In “Abraham Lincoln and Jacksonian
Democracy,” Professor Sean Wilentz traces the surprising
connection between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln,
and reminds us that Lincoln was willing to look for political
wisdom and political strategies whether associated with
his own party or with the rival Democratic Party. Professor
Manisha Sinha provides insight into the role of both black
and white abolitionists in the president’s evolving
position on emancipation and black rights. In “Allies
for Emancipation?: Lincoln and Black Abolitionists”,
Sinha shows how the President’s willingness to meet
with and listen to the views of African Americans influenced
his decision to reject colonization and embrace emancipation—and
ultimately to support the call to extend political citizenship
to African Americans. In “Natural Rights, Citizen
Rights, States Rights, and Black Rights: Another Look
at Lincoln and Race,” Professor James Oakes clarifies
Lincoln’s views on race through a careful look at
the various, and competing definitions of “rights.”
Oakes argues that Lincoln did not believe black men and
women could or should be denied their natural rights,
but that his acceptance of states’ rights allowed
him to avoid the question of extending political citizenship
rights to African Americans. Finally, in “Lincoln’s
Religion,” Professor Richard Carwadine traces Lincoln’s
deepening faith as the national crisis deepened and his
growing belief in the immediacy of Providence in human
affairs as well as the role that the President’s
religious sentiments played in mobilizing support for
the war among Union citizens. We hope that these probing
and insightful essays will provide you with new perspectives
on President Lincoln that you can share with your students
in the coming months.
Our interactive feature allows you to see and hear these
Lincoln scholars as they address the Lincoln Symposium
held in November 2008 at Columbia University, and, as
always, Dr. Mary-Jo Kline directs you to a wealth of primary
and secondary sources in books and on the web. Our two
book reviewers have chosen to diverge from their usual
activity, and have instead offered valuable guidance and
useful suggestions on how to best use Lincoln primary
sources in the classroom. Finally, we offer readers lesson
plans at all grade levels from master teachers from across
the country.
All of us here at History Now wish you happy
holidays and a joyous, healthy new year.
Carol Berkin
Editor, History Now
Carol Berkin is Presidential 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, Associate Managing Editor -
Brendan Hughes, Designer - Brian Santalone, Archivist - Mary-Jo
Kline, Contributors - Richard Carwardine, Catherine Delaney,
John Halligan, Bruce Lesh, Roberta McCutcheon, Philip Nicolosi,
James Oakes, Manisha Sinha, John Travers.
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