Summary Of The Real Lincoln By Thomas Delorenzo

Thomas DiLorenzo’s book, The Real Lincoln, has given us a fresh perspective on our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln. The purpose of the book is to shed light on Lincoln’s true beliefs and motives behind his presidential decisions. Throughout the book, the reader is given multiple examples of Lincoln’s thoughts and ideas that supported his actions. DiLorenzo does a great job at keeping his readers engaged and involved. DiLorenzo is not new to the world of writing. He has authored multiple books, including another one detailing Lincoln’s life. DiLorenzo has written blogs, and he has been a featured speaker at many historical engagements. DiLorenzo holds a Ph.D. in economics, and he is a college professor. DiLorenzo’s book is packed full …show more content…
Lincoln had a strong opinion about the races and where each stood. In one response highlighted in the book, Lincoln expressed that he thought the two races would never be able to live together. He also said that his race, the white race, was the more superior of the two. This type of thinking goes against what we have believed to be true of Lincoln. As we read the Declaration of Independence, we often think of Lincoln when we hear the words “all men are created equal.” According to DiLorenzo, that phrase is far from what Lincoln really felt. Chapter two tells us that Lincoln’s role model was Henry Clay. In fact, Lincoln formed much of his political life after that of Henry Clay. Lincoln’s ideas were very similar to those of Clay, and his choices were close to identical. Chapter two goes into great detail about the Black Codes, the way people were treated, and the feelings of slavery across our …show more content…
DiLorenzo explains that Lincoln had the opportunity to free slaves, but he did not take advantage of the situation. It is also revealed that Lincoln went against what he had originally stated about slavery. In his inaugural address, Lincoln shared that he had no constitutional authority to alter the use of slaves. He was at the point where he was thinking of ignoring the words of the constitution. He was ready to take a more dictatorial role among the people. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was introduced, but it was not what it supposedly appeared to be. It was, in essence, a document that would lead us to the end of slavery. According to Lincoln, his proclamation was just a war measure, and it did not mean anything about ending slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation caused problems across our land. There were hard feelings, race riots, and even deaths. The chapter goes on to discuss the Fugitive Slave Law and its impact on Lincoln’s political future, the devastation of the War Between the States, and Lincoln’s plan to save the