DESCRIPTION: In this reasoned
argument against the prevailing orthodoxies of
the right, left, and center, Krannawitter takes
on all of Lincoln's detractors and reasserts his
contemporary relevance. A heady mix of narrative
history and political insights, Vindicating
Lincoln reveals a man whose political and
moral example sets him apart as the greatest
President of the United States of America.
TOLLESON'S REVIEW: Two pages into the 6½ page
Acknowledgments I realized I was reading clarity
of thought. This book is one of the finest
examples of critical thinking that I have ever
read. I have long heard that Lincoln's sole
purpose for freeing the slaves was that it was
expedient for the Union. To that end,
Lincoln’s own words are usually cited. And
indeed, everyone with whom I have spoken (and who
have at least a passing familiarity with history)
speaks of Lincoln in terms of a moral man
essentially exercising moral relevance. Either
that or Lincoln is spoken of in terms more akin
to a tyrant. Krannawitter effectively
demonstrates that both of these presumptions
could not be any further from the truth.
The error made by contemporary critics and
"historians" in general is a failure to
recognize and analyze Lincoln’s
statesmanship and the political realities of the
atmosphere in which he governed.
Krannawitter clearly illuminates that the
ambiguity with which Lincoln is portrayed is the
result of the President's carefully crafted
dialogue whenever presented with audiences
hostile to his agenda. As Krannawitter points
out, in many cases had Lincoln actually said what
he wanted to do, the man wouldn't have been able
to get elected as dog catcher.
As a writer I am well versed in saying what my
audience may like to hear while not expressing my
contradictory views: This is a case of going on
record as saying a particular thing and then
later saying, "well yes, I said that, but
what I didn't say is this..." According
Krannawitter, Lincoln was a master at doing this
very thing--a man who attempted to shape the
thoughts of his audience while not invoking their
ire. Every example this book illustrates shows
that Lincoln never violated his own principles
while trying to mitigate the damage of citizens
practicing a moral relevance of equality in a
nation whose charter is upon the foundation that
all men are created equal.
This book does not address Lincoln in the
battlefield, which, as I understand it, resulted
in less than stellar results for the Union. But
insofar as Lincoln in most other aspects, this
book is a remarkable exercise in analyses and
logic.
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