A Very Short Introduction - Lincoln

No man could have loved fame more than Abraham Lincoln. ‘‘Oh,
how hard [it is] to die and not be able to leave the world any better
for one’s little life in it,’’ Lincoln once complained, and one of the
rewards he cherished for issuing his Emancipation Proclamation
of January 1, 1863, was the expectation that ‘‘the name which is
connected with this act will never be forgotten.’’ And fame,
certainly, is what Lincoln won, not only in America but around
the world. He is one of the five Americans who, we can confidently
say, are known the world over, alongside George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Martin Luther King

Contents
List of illustrations viii
Maps ix
Introduction 1
1 Equality 9
2 Advancement 24
3 Law 38
4 Liberty 56
5 Debate 72
6 Emancipation 90
7 Reunion 108
Epilogue 124
References 129
Further reading 135
Index 143