Lincoln As I Knew Him Essay, Research Paper
Lincoln As I Knew Him
Over the past decade, historians have gained a new respect for the value of
oral
history and reminiscence. ?For generations serious scholars had discounted
this type of
historical data as being too easily flawed. It is the very nature of
reminiscence that it is
history being perceived by individuals, and is therefore susceptible to the
human traits of
bias, misconception, and utter falsification.? (Harold Holzer) However,
work being done
by modern scholars has shown that used carefully and selectively, many
historical facts and
incidents can be divined from these sources. The editor Harold Holzer, Guest
Scholar, is
Vice President for Communications at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and
author,
co-author, and editor of eighteen books on Abraham Lincoln and the political
culture of
the Civil War, including The Confederate Image (1987). In addition to many
books,
Harold has written some 290 articles for both popular magazines and scholarly
journals.
A number of books have appeared recently that states reminiscences,
recollections,
and personal remembrances of Abraham Lincoln. Many individuals who personally
interacted with Lincoln left behind records of their experiences in
publications of all sorts.
In Lincoln as I Knew Him: Gossip, Tributes & Revelations from His Best
Friends and
Worst Enemies, Harold Holzer has searched a number of these sources to paint
a unique
and entertaining portrait of our 16th President. Holzer presents his
selections by group
rather than topically or chronologically. For instance, the first chapter
contains
reminiscences from family members; other chapters come from fellow lawyers,
foreign
observers, authors, artists, and African-Americans.
Harold Holzer does an excellent job in selecting reminiscences and
recollections
from many different, and often somewhat obscure sources. Personal journals
and diaries,
periodicals and newspapers, and little used compilations of reminiscences all
served as
sources. Holzer introduces each chapter, and prefaces each individual
reminiscence. The
Lincoln that comes from Holzer’s book is a man who had a natural curiosity
and was eager
to learn from a variety of sources but especially from reading. It has long
been recognized
that Lincoln was a self-taught man. Given this, Holzer strives to show that
this was a
life-long process, and that reading more helped make Lincoln who he was.
Over all I think Harold Holzer did an excellent job on editing this book, I
think it
put it together very nicely. Lincoln As I Knew Him: Gossip, Tributes &
Revelations from
his best friends and worst enemies was very interesting. The different
stories about
Lincoln were very interesting and I liked that more than just having just the
authors
perspective. Another thing I liked about this book is that the information
was written in a
very nice way it wasn?t hard to understand at all. Lincoln As I Knew Him:
Gossip,
Tributes & Revelations from his best friends and worst enemies also had
some bad
qualities, for instance some of the information was gossip and you weren?t
sure if what
you were reading was true or not. Another thing about the book is how it took
a while for
you catch on to what some of the writer?s were trying to put across, but
for the most part
it was easy reading.
In Lincoln As I Knew Him we learn this and much more about an extraordinary
man who made a lasting impression on everyone who met him. From the
famous–Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass,
Ulysses S.
Grant–to the not-so-famous–White House secretaries, artists, bodyguards,
childhood
pals, and rejected fianc?es–this collection provides an insider’s look at
the man. The result
is a folksy, revealing, and, at times, contradictory view of the President. I
found the book
to be very informant of the ups and downs of Abraham Lincoln?s life. It
showed that
throughout it all a president as a lot to deal with and is like me and you. I
liked the book
very much.