Lincoln's Defense of Politics: The Public Man and His Opponents in the Crisis over Slavery

Schneider, currently a research associate at Boston University's Editorial Institute, explores how Abraham Lincoln's position and actions concerning slavery differed from the perspectives of two other distinct groups: pro-slavery Americans, who invoked constitutional states' rights, and abolitionists, who contended that moral law surpassed the Constitution in demanding slavery's eradication. Schneider examines topics such as Lincoln's refusal to compromise his political platform during the 1860-61 secession crisis, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the nature of popular government, emphasizing Lincoln's adherence to his political priorities despite an awareness of existing oppositional extremes.