Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era: History and Memory in Late Twentieth-Century America
Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era: History and Memory in Late Twentieth-Century America
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Abstract
By the 1920s, Abraham Lincoln had transcended the lingering controversies of the Civil War to become a secular saint, honored in North and South alike for his steadfast leadership in crisis. Throughout the Great Depression and World War II, he was invoked countless times as a reminder of America's strength and wisdom, a commanding ideal against which weary citizens could see their own hardships in perspective. But as revealed in this book, those years represent the apogee of Lincoln's prestige. The decades following World War II brought radical changes to American culture, changes that led to the diminishing of all heroes. As the author explains, growing sympathy for the plight of racial minorities, disenchantment with the American state, the lessening of patriotism in the wake of the Vietnam War, and an intensifying celebration of diversity all contributed to a culture in which neither Lincoln nor any single person could be a heroic symbol for all Americans. Paradoxically, however, the very culture that made Lincoln an object of indifference, questioning, criticism, and even ridicule was a culture of unprecedented beneficence and inclusion, where racial, ethnic, and religious groups treated one another more fairly and justly than ever before. Thus, as the prestige of the Great Emancipator shrank, his legacy of equality continued to flourish. Drawing on a wide range of sources, the book documents the decline of Lincoln's public standing, asking throughout whether there is any path back from this post-heroic era. Can a new generation of Americans embrace again their epic past, including great leaders whom they know to be flawed?
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Front Matter
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Introduction
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* 1 *
Ascension: Lincoln in the Great Depression
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* 2 *
Apex: Lincoln in The Second World War
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* 3 *
Transition: Cold War, Racial Conflict, and Contested Images of Lincoln
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* 4 *
Transfiguration: Civil Rights Movement, Vanishing Savior of the Union
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* 5 *
Erosion: Fading Prestige, Benign Ridicule
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* 6 *
Post-Heroic Era: Acids of Equality and the Waning of Greatness
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* 7 *
Inertia: The Enduring Lincoln
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Conclusion
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End Matter
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Appendix A
The Populist Strain in Depression-Era Lincoln Representation
- Appendix B Percentage of Respondents Designating Abraham Lincoln as One of the Two or Tree Greatest Men Who Ever Lived in this Country, 1945*
- Appendix C Survey Information
- Appendix D Codes for 1945 Gallup Poll (Roman Font) and 2001 NES (Italic Font)
- Appendix E Reasons for Designating Abraham Lincoln Greater than George Washington: National Employee Survey 2001: Any Mention
- Appendix F Histojy Textbook List
- Appendix G Appendix G
- Appendix H Percentage of Respondents Designating Abraham Lincoln as One of America's Three Greatest Presidents, by Race*
- Appendix I Percentage of Respondents Designating Abraham Lincoln as One of America's Three Greatest Presidents, by Region
- Appendix J Percentage of Respondents Designating Lincoln as One of America's Three Greatest Presidents by Party Identification and Ideology, 1991
- Appendix K Diversity and the Ideal of Citizenship
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Notes
- Index
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Appendix A
The Populist Strain in Depression-Era Lincoln Representation
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