Abraham Lincoln and his contemporaries

The essays in this book are about Abraham Lincoln and responses to his wartime policies from three identifiable and very different groups of the president's contemporaries. The essayists explore the motivation for and the implications of many of Lincoln's strategies and policies. The reaction by individuals, often leaders, within each of these identifiable groups reveals the ideological foundations that are a part of the post-Civil War American experience.

An examination of the interaction of Abraham Lincoln with his contemporaries also contributes to our understanding of this extraordinarily complex man.