Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment [Paperback]

Overview

An intimate study of Abraham Lincoln’s powerful vision of democracy, which guided him through the Civil War and is still relevant today—by a best-selling historian and three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize

“Writing in the shadow of what he knows are despairing political times—the brink of a presidential contest that few seem to want—Allen Guelzo offers us the solace of Abraham Lincoln’s belief in democracy . . . Thus his gift to readers: ‘I offer this man’s example.’” —Roger Lowenstein, The Wall Street Journal

Abraham Lincoln grappled with the greatest crisis of democracy that has ever confronted the United States. While many books have been written about his temperament, judgment, and steady hand in guiding the country through the Civil War, we know less about Lincoln’s penetrating ideas and beliefs about democracy, which were every bit as important as his character in sustaining him through the crisis.

Allen C. Guelzo, one of America’s foremost experts on Lincoln, captures the president’s firmly held belief that democracy was the greatest political achievement in human history. He shows how Lincoln’s deep commitment to the balance between majority and minority rule enabled him to stand firm against secession while also committing the Union to reconciliation rather than recrimination in the aftermath of war.

In bringing his subject to life as a rigorous and visionary thinker, Guelzo assesses Lincoln’s actions on civil liberties and his views on race, and explains why his vision for the role of government would have made him a pivotal president even if there had been no Civil War. Our Ancient Faith gives us a deeper understanding of this endlessly fascinating man and shows how his ideas are still sharp and relevant more than 150 years later.

The book, Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment [Paperback] [Bulk, Wholesale, Quantity] ISBN# 9780593467688 in Paperback by Allen Guelzo may be ordered in bulk quantities. Minimum starts at 25 copies. Availability based on publisher status and quantity being ordered.