Chapter 1 Flashcards
(50 cards)
Describe Lincoln
Great leader
Imperfect human being
Vigorous man
Beset by personal and physical troubles
Lincoln was what number president
16th
Material in book drawn from
Lincolns personal papers and newly discovered legal practice
Author
David Herbert Donald a retired harvard history professor
Describe book
Presidents rise from obscurity to heights of political glory
Lincolns personal and public life adversely affected each other
President felt events were beyond his control
Inexperienced ill prepared man grew into executive with political acumen
Moral greatness
Copyright
1995
Lincoln quote in preface
I claim to not have controlled events but confess plainly that they have controlled me. April 4, 1864 to hodges
Which presidents comments influenced the author
JFK felt nobody had the right to judge lest he sat in the chair
Biography is therefore written from what point of view
Lincolns using the information and ideas available to him at the time.
Licolns biographers
Nicola and hay in 1890 papers sealed til 1947
This books focus is on
Lincoln who was indirectly connected to social and economic changes of the time…it is not a civil war book, or confederacy or military as he would have not known all about this
Lincoln’s problems
Unquenchable ambition Mind numbing labor in law practice Tempestuous marriage Repeated defeats Chance often shaped life All balanced but his ability for growth Author believes our greatest president
Inaugural pledge was not to
Interfere with slavery but he moved towards emancipation (which along with black soldiers had become a necessity)
Define sagacity
.
Lincoln felt destiny was controlled by
A higher power
Turned away from orthodox christianity becuase of
Frontier evangelism
Came to believe in the doctrine of necessity
The human mind is impelled to action
Or held in rest by some power
Over which the mind has no control
Limcolms partner
William herndon
Lincolns positive traits
Tolerance Compassion Willingness to overlook mistakes Also A little bit fatalist A little bit like those who believed predetermined (calvanists) yet still worked for the better of self family and world
Pragmatic ..if something was not fated to work try something else
My policy is to have
No policy….like a river pilot just steer from point to point…preferred to respond to the action of others
Did lincoln like the photo on the cover of the book
He did but others didn’t and he suspects it was due to messy hair
Quote from hamlet
…a divinity shapes ends …rough hewn them how we will….fatalistic?
Negative capability
Capable of being in uncertainties without any irritable reaching for fact
Lincoln on his ancestry
The short and simple annals of the poor.
Knew little to nothingof his mothers illiterate family. Parents both born in virginia of undistinguished second families.
1780 Hankses moved from Virginia to Kentucky, farmers, mother Nancy may have been illegitimate daughter of a well bred farmer (lincoln may ave just hoped) and Lucey Hankses
On lincoln side, grandfather abraham moved from virgina to kentucky in 1780s…and may have been pennsylvania quakers long before that from samuel lincoln a weaver of england and massachusetts trader (1637)
Modrecai lincoln (1686-1736) ironmaster m slater (royal governor family)
john lincoln (1716-1788) large farm in virgina
Abraham lincoln grandfather given 210 acres from john, sold good virgina farm and headed to kentucky..after hearing about it from distant relative daniel boone
Thomas (almost killed by indian)
Pres abe 7th generation of means