Klik på en miniature for at gå til Google Books
Indlæser... Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memoryaf Harold Holzer
Ingen Indlæser...
Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
Tilhører Forlagsserien
Emancipating Lincoln seeks a new approach to the Emancipation Proclamation, a foundational text of American liberty that in recent years has been subject to woeful misinterpretation. These seventeen hundred words are Lincoln's most important piece of writing, responsible both for his being hailed as the Great Emancipator and for his being pilloried by those who consider his once-radical effort at emancipation insufficient and half-hearted.Harold Holzer, an award-winning Lincoln scholar, invites us to examine the impact of Lincoln's momentous announcement at the moment of its creation, and then as its meaning has changed over time. Using neglected original sources, Holzer uncovers Lincoln's very modern manipulation of the media-from his promulgation of disinformation to the ways he variously withheld, leaked, and promoted the Proclamation-in order to make his society-altering announcement palatable to America. Examining his agonizing revisions, we learn why a peerless prose writer executed what he regarded as his "greatest act" in leaden language. Turning from word to image, we see the complex responses in American sculpture, painting, and illustration across the past century and a half, as artists sought to criticize, lionize, and profit from Lincoln's endeavor.Holzer shows the faults in applying our own standards to Lincoln's efforts, but also demonstrates how Lincoln's obfuscations made it nearly impossible to discern his true motives. As we approach the 150th anniversary of the Proclamation, this concise volume is a vivid depiction of the painfully slow march of all Americans-white and black, leaders and constituents-toward freedom. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsIngen
Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)973.714History and Geography North America United States Administration of Abraham Lincoln, 1861-1865 Civil War Political history; causes, results Results of the civil warLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
Er det dig?Bliv LibraryThing-forfatter. |
I have to say...reading this book was very difficult. The portion of the book that dealt with the history of the drafting and unveiling of the Proclamation was just a condensed version that has already been covered in more detail (and in a much more interesting fashion) in both David Herbert Donald's "Lincoln" and Doris Keanrs Goodwin's "Team of Rivals." There was nothing new that was added to the historical record in this section.
However, I have to admit that I was quite pleased when reading the section that dealt with the public's perception of Lincoln and the Proclamation (and also how it has changed over time). This was the strongest part of Holzer's book because it utilized paintings, etches, and sculptures as primary source material. It was the first time I have ever run into anything that discusses how the artwork of the various time periods helped influence people's perceptions of Lincoln and the Proclamation. I urge people to pay particular attention to this section because it does add something new to the the discussion of "Lincoln History."
Overall, this is not the worst book I have read on Lincoln, but it is not the best either. If people want to save time, I suggest reading the second half of the book. It is much more interesting, and fits more with the overall strengths of Harold Holzer's interests. ( )