Synopses & Reviews
In
A Just and Generous Nation, the eminent historian Harold Holzer and the noted economist Norton Garfinkle present a groundbreaking new account of the beliefs that inspired our sixteenth president to go to war when the Southern states seceded from the Union. Rather than a commitment to eradicating slavery or a defense of the Union, they argue, Lincolns guiding principle was the defense of equal economic opportunity.
Lincoln firmly believed that the governments primary role was to ensure that all Americans had the opportunity to better their station in life. As president, he worked tirelessly to enshrine this ideal within the federal government. He funded railroads and canals, supported education, and, most importantly, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which opened the door for former slaves to join white Americans in striving for self-improvement. In our own age of unprecedented inequality, A Just and Generous Nation reestablishes Lincolns legacy as the protector not just of personal freedom but of the American dream itself.
Review
Publishers Weekly[A] groundbreaking book.”
James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom
Lincoln's legacy includes not only the preservation of the Union and the abolition of slavery, but also the use of government to promote economic opportunity and upward mobility for all Americans. As the authors of this eye-opening study convincingly demonstrate, the modern Republican party has repudiated this legacy by embracing policies that have promoted increasing inequality and a society that closes off opportunity.”
Review
Kirkus[A] compelling study
A well-honed work of driving focus, particularly timely in this new era of economic inequality.”
Publishers Weekly
[A] groundbreaking book.”
Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editor and Publisher, The Nation
In their magisterial book, A Just and Generous Nation, Harold Holzer and Norton Garfinkle give contemporary America an Abraham Lincoln for our times. Theirs is a president who understood that the great conflict of the ages is the strife between privilege and equality, and that equal economic opportunity for all Americans is the heart of our country's more perfect union.”
Sean Wilentz, author of The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln
Harold Holzer and Norton Garfinkles concise study brilliantly shows all the ways the modern Republican Party has trashed the legacy of Abraham Lincolnnot only on racial justice but on the economics of the American dream. Here is exacting and responsible history put to good purpose, dispelling the amnesia and the myths that plague our public life.”
Alan S. Blinder, author of After the Music Stopped: The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead
You may think nothing could change your view of Lincoln. Think again. This cogently argued and elegantly written book may do exactly that. Its tracing of a coherent line of economic thought straight through from young Abe to Barack Obama makes an engaging read.”
Eric Foner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery
Harold Holzer and Norton Garfinkle provide an important public service by reminding us that Lincolns hatred of slavery and devotion to the Union rested on a bedrock belief that free society and activist democratic government could offer free laborers the opportunity to rise up the social ladder, and by showing that in our time of rising inequality, that promise is in danger of being betrayed.”
James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom
Lincoln's legacy includes not only the preservation of the Union and the abolition of slavery, but also the use of government to promote economic opportunity and upward mobility for all Americans. As the authors of this eye-opening study convincingly demonstrate, the modern Republican party has repudiated this legacy by embracing policies that have promoted increasing inequality and a society that closes off opportunity.”
About the Author
Harold Holzer is one of the countrys foremost authorities on Lincoln. The author of several books, including
Lincoln and the Power of the Press, Holzer lives in Rye, New York.
Norton Garfinkle is an economist and chair of the Future of American Democracy Foundation. He lives in New York City.