The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda and an Unnecessary War [Paperback]

If you accept the idea that the American Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery - the good guys vs the bad guys - be prepared to have your ideas shattered.

In truth, it should now be well-known that the war was about the right of states to secede from the Union, slavery providing the trigger.

The author's view is that slavery was opposed in the North because it undercut the job prospects of 'free' labour, not necessarily the altruistic motive we have been lead to believe.

But DiLorenzo digs deeper, arguing that the original federal-central debate - Jefferson vs Hamilton - was the real issue.

Lincoln, according to DiLorenzo was a believer in the Whig/Hamitonian agenda of a strong Federal Government dedicated to a mercantilist economic policy: high tariffs, a strong central bank, and subsidies for 'internal improvements' - such as the railroads.

Southern states represented the Jeffersonian agenda: free trade, small government, and no subsidies.

According to the author, Lincoln posed no threat to slavery when he won the presidential election of 1860 and, like most white people of his time, he believed that black people were inferior.

Even during the war, he believed black people should be encouraged to return to Africa.

The war, argues DiLorenzo, gave Lincoln the opportunity to introduce the Whig agenda, and alter the Constitution in favour of the a strong central government. In support of this policy, it was even argued - and continues to be argued, that a central government was deemed to have existed before the states.

DiLorenzo argues that George III signed a treaty with each of the thirteen states, and not a central government.

Conclusion: Jefferson lost, and he lost because Lincoln won.

You may not agree, but you will find this book a most stimulating read.

Finally, from a British perspective, think of Jefferson and Hamilton in an EU context: will the states of Europe take the same journey from being a confederacy to one in which Brussels is all powerful? We need to think hard on this issue, before it is too late.

Today Lincoln has been immortalized as the great promoter of freedom and equality. Everything he has done is assumed to be good and right, even when all logic and reason says otherwise. Tom Dilorenzo's book has revealed the monstrous myths that overshadow the actual happenings of Lincoln's life and presidency. Dilorenzo offers the idea that perhaps Lincoln's entire presidency was not spent giving freedom and liberties but in taking them away. And while many people will not like it, he's quite right.

Chapter 1: Introduction. Here Dilorenzo prepares the reader for what will come in the remainder of the book. He briefly describes the subjects of the following chapters.

Chapter 2: Lincoln's Opposition to Racial Equality. While Lincoln has been portrayed as an abolitionist, here it is made clear that this idea is nothing short of total nonsense. Dilorenzo gives numerous quotes from Lincoln himself that imply that Lincoln thought the blacks an inferior race that did not deserve the rights granted to whites. During his debates with Douglass, Lincoln said, "Free them, and make them politically and socially our equals? My own feelings will not admit of this.... We cannot, then, make them equals."

Chapter 3: Why not peaceful Emancipation? Dilorenzo explains how nearly every other country in the world was able to end slavery peacefully. Not only did Lincoln say that he believed he had no right to free the slaves, but he said in his First Inaugural Address that he supported a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the Federal Government from ever interfering with southern slavery again. Dilorenzo also argues that the Emancipation Proclamation was really just a piece of political trickery, an opinion held by the majority of spectators in England. As Lincoln's secretary of state William Seward mockingly said, " We show our sympathy for slavery by emancipating slaves where we cannot reach them and holding them in bondage where we can set them free."

Chapter 4: Lincoln's Real Agenda. Lincoln was the disciple of Hamilton and Clay, both of whom were strongly in favor of a highly centralized Federal Government. The so-called "American System" of Clay favored high protective tariffs, internal improvements, and centralized banking. This corrupt system gave subsidies to corporations of their own choosing; they could not possibly support all businesses. Nearly all the subsidies went to the north, but the south was not exempt from paying the tariff. When the south seceded, along with it went the tax dollars Lincoln would need to accomplish his goal. No wonder Lincoln was so upset by the southern succession.

Chapter 5: The Myth of Secession as Treason. Nearly all the founding fathers believed in secession, as did the general public. After all, they had just fought a war of succession against England. They had revolted against what they considered violations of their personal liberties - liberties that are quite insignificant by today's standards. The very idea that they would then form a government that would give supreme power to the Federal Government is absolutely absurd. Secession was threatened many times before 1861, including by New England during the War of 1812. Never was the constitutional right of secession questioned, only the wisdom of secession in the present situation. In fact, Dilorenzo reveals the forgotten move for secession in the Mid-Atlantic states around the time of the southern secession.

Chapter 6: Was Lincoln a dictator? Here Dilorenzo uncovers quite shocking information of Lincoln's violation of the constitution, particularly his suspension of the writ of Habeas Corpus. Dozens of newspaper editors were thrown in jail without trial for their opposition to Lincoln's administration. Clement Vallandigham, a U.S. representative from Ohio, was deported without trial from his home for being a "traitor". In reality, he was only protesting against the unwise moves the government was making.

Chapter 7: Waging War Against Civilians. Lincoln and his generals clearly violated the international code of warfare by killing civilians and damaging their property. Dilorenzo gives us painful details of the inhumane methods used to subdue the south.

Chapter 8: Reconstructing America. Dilorenzo explains the unjust methods used after the end of the war. The south was forced back into the union, but it was not granted any of the liberties given to the north. The way they were dealt with reinforces the fact that no one was ever able to offer a historically accurate argument against the constitutionality of secession.

Chapter 9: Diloronzo expounds on much of the previous material.

Chapter 10: The costs of Lincoln's War. Dilorenzo explains how the wounds of the Civil War and Lincoln's policies haunt us still.

Highly recommended. While this book may be troubling, it is absolutely essential for anyone wanting to understand the real Lincoln.

(Copied from my review on Amazon.com)

A very interesting book; all aspects are covered with the right approach, and fully explained. Yet it requires a solid knowledge of facts, and backrounds to be fully understood.