Think Anew, Act Anew: Abraham Lincoln on Slavery, Freedom, and Union [Paperback]

In the hope of shedding light on questions that continue to spark debate among historians and students of Lincoln, Brooks Simpson presents Think Anew, Act Anew, a concise and inventively annotated collection of documents written by Abraham Lincoln that focus on the interrelated themes of slavery, union, emancipation, and reconstruction. How did Lincoln define equality? How did he harmonize his rejection of slavery as immoral with his toleration of it where it existed? What were his views on race, and did they change over time? What did freedom mean to him?

This unique selection of Lincoln's own words offers readers a chance to explore for themselves how Lincoln understood the prevailing concerns of his America. Professor Simpson provides contextual information in introductions to each of the book's eight chapters and all sixty-four documents are preceded by a brief note.

Acknowledgments xi

Principal Dates in the Life of Abraham Lincoln xii

Introduction 1

Chapter One the Monstrous Injustice, 1854-1857 7

1.1?Fragment on Slavery (c. 1854-1859) 9

1.2?Speech at Peoria, Illinois, October 16, 1854 (excerpts) 10

1.3?To George Robertson, August 15, 1855 20

1.4?To Joshua F. Speed, August 24, 1855 21

1.5?Speech at Springfield, Illinois, June 26, 1857 (excerpts) 25

Chapter Two The Debate with Douglas, 1858 28

2.1 Speech at Springfield, Illinois, June 16 1858 (The House Divided Speech) 30

2.2 Speech at Springfield, Illinois, July 17, 1858 (excerpts) 37

2.3 Speech at Freeport, Illinois, August 27, 1858 (Second Lincoln Douglas Debate; excerpt) 38

2.4 Speech at Edwardsville, Illinois, September 11, 1858 (excerpts) 42