Lincoln's New Salem by Benjamin Thomas

Lincoln's New Salem by Benjamin Thomas

Thomas tells the story of the village where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1831 to 1837. His three-part examination of the village often referred to as Lincoln’s ""Alma Mater"" features the founding and early history of New Salem, Lincoln’s impact on the village and its effect on him, and the story of the Lincoln legend and the reconstruction of the town. Thomas argues convincingly that New Salem was the town where Lincoln acquired faith in himself, faith in people. At 22 the future president drifted into town seeking to become a blacksmith. Thomas introduces us to the people who created New Salem and who knew, influenced, and befriended Lincoln. Thomas highlights Lincoln’s arrival, his relationships with his neighbors, his important wrestling match with Jack Armstrong, his self-education, his quiet career as an Indian fighter, his experience as a postmaster largely indifferent to postal regulations, his financial woes as a businessman, his loyal friends who often came to his aid, and his election to the legislature. This colorful history closes with a discussion of the Lincoln legend. The truth of the stories is unimportant. What matters is that the growing Lincoln legend prompted the gradual realization that New Salem was not a dismal mire from which President Lincoln had had to extricate himself but was, in fact, an energizing force. This realization led to research and finally to the restoration of New Salem, which began in 1932.

Benjamin P. Thomas (1902–1956), a lifetime Lincoln scholar, is best known for his definitive Abraham Lincoln, A Biography.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9780809313891
ISBN 10	0809313898
Titel	Lincoln's New Salem
Autor	Benjamin Thomas
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Paperback
Verlag	Southern Illinois University Press
Erscheinungsjahr	1988-02-28
Seitenanzahl	188
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.