He needed to have political power to make the changes he could see were necessary: freeing the slaves while keeping the Union intact. He sometimes hedged his bet and placated people who didn’t want change, who didn’t want an end to slavery. One thing that stood out explicitly for me was that Lincoln knew what persuaded the voters of his time. That is set forth forcefully with quotes and anecdotes that show clearly that even though Lincon may not have used 21st century appropriate language, his feelings towards the enslaved were humane and his distaste for the hideous practice is clear. But then this text is focused on Lincoln’s faith and his feelings toward slavery. It has been pointed out that although Meacham includes formative events in Lincoln’s life that many things are left out. Meacham invests himself fully in telling the story of Abraham Lincoln from start to finish, and placing him in THE CORRECT HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. Jon Meacham knows what he is talking about. One thing that is certain is that the people who do this don’t know what they are talking about and have likely never cracked a history book. Some identify themselves with his political party while simultaneously believing in the “The Lost Cause.” Quotes of Lincoln’s are taken out of context and out of the time and culture in which they were spoken and compared to current standards. Not surprisingly, people on both ends of the political spectrum accuse Lincoln of being a racist, being more concerned with politics than slavery, etc. This is THE book you need to read to clear up any question about Abraham Lincoln’s feelings on and actions against slavery. I highly recommend this biography of Abraham Lincoln. It is a great book and an important book. I particularly liked the way he explained the development of his ideas and how he implemented them during his Presidency. Jon Meacham is an expert American historian and biographer. But it is a biography with much to think about so it did take me a while to read it. But according to my Kindle about half on the ARC was references. I did actually start it before publication but it took a while to read the book and write a review.Īccording to Amazon the hardcover version is 720 pages. First, I should thank Netgalley for the chance to read an ARC before publication. The full title is 'And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle' by Jon Meacham. And learning about Lincoln and the evolution of his beliefs could yield a few useful lessons that could help us through the current situation. Our country is more divided than any time since the Civil War. It is especially good and timely because of the many divisions in the United States. Jon Meacham has provided us with a great biography of Abraham Lincoln.

And there was light jon meacham review