American History

Lightner, David L.
Canadian Review of American Studies, 1995, Vol. 25 Issue 2, p103-111

The article by David Lightner analysis President Abraham Lincolns fame as the father of liberty in the United States based on Merrill Petersons book, American Memory. The article describes how Peterson analyzed different literatures on the life and achievement of President Lincoln. The analysis seeks to answer the question of whether President Lincoln is a real hero in the American society or not. The article also analyses whether President Lincoln should be considered a martyr many years after he was assassinated.

The article starts by noting how the perspective of Petersons work has always resulted into shifting opinions about the life and achievement of President Lincoln among the Americans. Petersons work is based not only on the secondary sources of information but also on analysis of the event that led to the emergency of Lincolns images and achievement such as emancipation of the slaves and as a savior of the United States. The writer analyses how Lincolns fame reached the peak in the first half of the 20th century where the black American looked at him as their savior. This affection was however transferred to the new black savior, Martin Luther King in the second half of the 20th century.

Because of the large number of literature about President Lincoln, Peterson finds it hard to choose what to include and what to leave out. He includes some analysis of positive and negative literature on the life of President Lincoln as a national hero. Incidences such as having Lincoln on the national postage stamp, his view on alcohol and the reactions to the splendid statue of Lincoln are included in the analysis to attract the attention of the reader.

The article also notes that Peterson referred to several academic literatures in his analysis. He analyses scholarly work of several historians who had done extensive analysis of Lincolns life. This includes the works that described Lincoln as an unrealistic anti racism crusader (Stephen Oates), political opportunists (Robert Johannsen) and a tyrant (Dwight Anderson). The article is quick to note that the literature makes the image of Lincoln more complex and blurred.

The article also notes that Peterson acknowledges the ambiguous work of Mark Nelly which describes Lincoln as a political as well as a military leader. Nelly criticized Lincolns intentions in the civil liberty and his election in the 1860 where his campaigns were not based on issues. Peterson also analyses the unconvincing argument of David Greenstone who view Lincoln as a capstone figure in the road to liberalism. According to Greenstone, Lincoln was able to balance his commitment civil liberty, his political party and the union. However, Greenstone does not provide enough evidence to support his thesis which makes it unconvincing.

The article describes one of the most important literature reviews that will aid in the understanding of the law played by President Lincoln in the development of the American society. The article has an excellent and plausible writing style which makes it interesting to read. The article indirectly suggests essential literatures any curious reader will be interested to read. However, the most interesting aspect of the article is the use of evidence from the book to support the argument. By reading the article, there is no doubt that the reader will have a clear insight on the Merrill Petersons book, American Memory and the controversial discussion on Lincoln as a national hero.