The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery
by Eric Foner
View on GoodreadsA Pulitzer-winning study of how Lincoln's positions on slavery evolved over his lifetime — from a moderate anti-extensionist to the issuer of emancipation — rooted in shifting politics, not fixed conviction.
Core ideas
- Lincoln was not a born abolitionist; his views moved with political opportunity and pressure from Black activists, radical Republicans, and the war itself.
- The Emancipation Proclamation was a military instrument first, moral statement second — but that's how lasting change usually happens.
- Reconstruction's seeds are here: Lincoln was still working out what Black freedom would actually mean when he was killed.
Published2010
Pages336
ISBN9780393066180
ReadAug 2020
