A just and generous nation
Subtitle: Abraham Lincoln and the fight for American opportunity
By: Harold Holzer and Norton Garfinkle
Contributors: Garfinkle, Norton, 1931-
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 311
ISBN-13: 9780465028306
Subjects: Politics and government; Equality; Social mobility; Social aspects; Economic development; Political and social views; Economic aspects; Causes; History
Other titles: Abraham Lincoln and the fight for American opportunity
Description: "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, Lincoln's guiding principle was the defense of equal economic opportunity. Lincoln firmly believed that the government's 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 Lincoln's legacy as the protector not just of personal freedom but of the American dream itself"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: PART ONE; title: 1. Simple Annals of the Poor : Dreaming the American Dream; title: 2. Right Makes Might : Lincoln the Candidate; title: 3. Chain of Steel : Defender of the Union; title: 4. Saving the Union : Lincoln the Leader; title: 5. Wholly Evil or Wholly Good : Not Quite an Abolitionist; title: 6. Forever Free : Lincoln the Emancipator; title: 7. What We Say Here and What we Do Here : Lincoln the Warrior; title: PART TWO; title: 8. Full Speed Ahead : Without Lincoln at the Helm; title: 9. Positive Government : The Lincoln Legacy; title: 10. For a Vast Future : Expanding Lincoln's American Dream; title: 11. Government Is the Problem : Rejecting Lincoln's Legacy; title: 12. The New Economic Debate : Clinton, Bush, and Obama; title: Epilogue: Government for the People : Lincoln's Unfinished Work.