Eric Foner Summary

This book closely examines Lincoln's writings and speeches and avoids direct engagement with previous Lincoln historians. Eric Foner stated that "His intent is to return Lincoln to his historical setting, tracing the evolution of his ideas in the context of the broad antislavery impulse and the unprecedented crisis the United States confronted during his adult life." (Foner prefacexvii) That being said, Foner said he wanted to isolate Lincoln's exact thinking on slavery at different times in his life, while also trying to break this image of Lincoln that he feels scholars have all given him. Often by referencing Lincoln to themselves, thinking they understand the way Lincoln felt and thought about slavery. Foner wants to show how exposure to ever changing public opinion changes ones thinking. He wants …show more content…
Some previous works on Lincoln Foner mentions are the Memorial Lincoln Biography , which listed books, eulogies, sermons and ephemeris (prefacexv) , The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln ,which contained mostly speeches and war time directives. (Foner preface xvi) The reason Foner feels there is a need for his book within the scholarship is because we should try to understand Lincoln from the beginning moving forward, as his growth unfolded, through one experience after another, not trying to understand the outcome by moving backwards. Foner argues that this book is not a biography, he is simply telling the story of Lincoln as he sees it without taking sides, entering in any kind of debate with other historians. This book allows scholars to to ignore the want to reduce importance on parts of Lincoln's beliefs in which they are uncomfortable with, giving them a whole new understanding to the ideas behind Lincoln's