ABRAHAM LINCOLN

The presidency of Abraham Lincoln and the many constitutional issues it dealt with are explored in this book for young readers.

Abraham Lincoln, born 20 years after the U.S. Constitution was ratified, served one term in Congress but twice lost bids for the Senate. However, the political volatility of the times and the growing debate concerning slavery as the country expanded into new territories (displacing Native peoples) provided the opportunity for Lincoln to rise. Lincoln’s election was seen as a direct threat to the slaveholding South, and a month after his inauguration, the Civil War began, plunging the country into “its greatest constitutional crisis.” In this third volume of the Making of America series, Kanefield continues to examine constitutional issues through the lives of important political figures. Here she also looks at Lincoln’s views on slavery, the rights of black Americans, and the various views of Lincoln scholars on these topics. The work makes clear that despite the constitutional end to slavery through the 13th Amendment, the country did not embrace full citizenship for African-Americans. This concise and balanced narrative encapsulates the life and legacy of one of the country’s most important leaders. As in others in the series, Lincoln’s own words are used liberally, giving a sense of the way he thought and expressed himself.

A solid addition for understanding America’s story.