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The Resource Abraham Lincoln and white America, Brian R. Dirck

Abraham Lincoln and white America, Brian R. Dirck

Creator
Summary
  • As "Savior of the Union" and the "Great Emancipator," Abraham Lincoln has been lauded for his courage, wisdom, and moral fiber. Yet Frederick Douglass's assertion that Lincoln was the "white man's president" has been used by some detractors as proof of his fundamentally racist character. Viewed objectively, Lincoln was a white man's president by virtue of his own whiteness and that of the culture that produced him. Until now, however, historians have rarely explored just what this means for our understanding of the man and his actions. Writing at the vanguard of "whiteness studies," Brian Dirck considers Lincoln as a typical American white man of his time who bore the multiple assumptions, prejudices, and limitations of his own racial identity. He shows us a Lincoln less willing or able to transcend those limitations than his more heroic persona might suggest but also contends that Lincoln's understanding and approach to racial bigotry was more enlightened than those of most of his white contemporaries. Blazing a new trail in Lincoln studies, Dirck reveals that Lincoln was well aware of and sympathetic to white fears, especially that of descending into "white trash," a notion that gnawed at a man eager to distance himself from his own coarse origins. But he also shows that after Lincoln crossed the Rubicon of black emancipation, he continued to grow beyond such cultural constraints, as seen in his seven recorded encounters with nonwhites. Dirck probes more deeply into what "white" meant in Lincoln's time and what it meant to Lincoln himself, and from this perspective he proposes a new understanding of how Lincoln viewed whiteness as a distinct racial category that influenced his policies. As Dirck ably demonstrates, Lincoln rose far enough above the confines of his culture to accomplish deeds still worthy of our admiration, and he calls for a more critically informed admiration of Lincoln that allows us to celebrate his considerable accomplishments while simultaneously recognizing his limitations. When Douglass observed that Lincoln was the white man's president, he may not have intended it as a serious analytical category. But, as Dirck shows, perhaps we should do so--the better to understand not just the Lincoln presidency, but the man himself
  • Explores the racial views of whites during the time of Abraham Lincoln's presidency, and especially looks at Lincoln's own biases and views on race and how they changed after he issued the Emancipation Proclamation
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xiii, 213 pages
Contents
  • Seven Negroes
  • White trash
  • The Lebanon
  • The white A and the black B
  • The broader difference
  • Some compunctions
  • Abraham Africanus the first
Isbn
9780700618279
Instance
Label
Abraham Lincoln and white America
Title
Abraham Lincoln and white America
Statement of responsibility
Brian R. Dirck
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
  • As "Savior of the Union" and the "Great Emancipator," Abraham Lincoln has been lauded for his courage, wisdom, and moral fiber. Yet Frederick Douglass's assertion that Lincoln was the "white man's president" has been used by some detractors as proof of his fundamentally racist character. Viewed objectively, Lincoln was a white man's president by virtue of his own whiteness and that of the culture that produced him. Until now, however, historians have rarely explored just what this means for our understanding of the man and his actions. Writing at the vanguard of "whiteness studies," Brian Dirck considers Lincoln as a typical American white man of his time who bore the multiple assumptions, prejudices, and limitations of his own racial identity. He shows us a Lincoln less willing or able to transcend those limitations than his more heroic persona might suggest but also contends that Lincoln's understanding and approach to racial bigotry was more enlightened than those of most of his white contemporaries. Blazing a new trail in Lincoln studies, Dirck reveals that Lincoln was well aware of and sympathetic to white fears, especially that of descending into "white trash," a notion that gnawed at a man eager to distance himself from his own coarse origins. But he also shows that after Lincoln crossed the Rubicon of black emancipation, he continued to grow beyond such cultural constraints, as seen in his seven recorded encounters with nonwhites. Dirck probes more deeply into what "white" meant in Lincoln's time and what it meant to Lincoln himself, and from this perspective he proposes a new understanding of how Lincoln viewed whiteness as a distinct racial category that influenced his policies. As Dirck ably demonstrates, Lincoln rose far enough above the confines of his culture to accomplish deeds still worthy of our admiration, and he calls for a more critically informed admiration of Lincoln that allows us to celebrate his considerable accomplishments while simultaneously recognizing his limitations. When Douglass observed that Lincoln was the white man's president, he may not have intended it as a serious analytical category. But, as Dirck shows, perhaps we should do so--the better to understand not just the Lincoln presidency, but the man himself
  • Explores the racial views of whites during the time of Abraham Lincoln's presidency, and especially looks at Lincoln's own biases and views on race and how they changed after he issued the Emancipation Proclamation
Summary
Explores the racial views of whites during the time of Abraham Lincoln's presidency, and especially looks at Lincoln's own biases and views on race and how they changed after he issued the Emancipation Proclamation
http://library.link/vocab/ext/novelist/bookUI
10114177
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1965-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Dirck, Brian R.
Dewey number
973.7092
Government publication
government publication of a state province territory dependency etc
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
index present
LC call number
E457.2
LC item number
.D565 2012
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/resourcePreferred
True
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Lincoln, Abraham
  • African Americans
  • African Americans
  • Lincoln, Abraham
  • Slaves
  • United States
Target audience
adult
Label
Abraham Lincoln and white America, Brian R. Dirck
Instantiates
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-206) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Seven Negroes -- White trash -- The Lebanon -- The white A and the black B -- The broader difference -- Some compunctions -- Abraham Africanus the first
Control code
19594507
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xiii, 213 pages
Isbn
9780700618279
Isbn Type
(cloth : acid-free paper)
Lccn
2012001796
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
  • (OCoLC)ocn760979099
  • (OCoLC)760979099
Label
Abraham Lincoln and white America, Brian R. Dirck
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-206) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Seven Negroes -- White trash -- The Lebanon -- The white A and the black B -- The broader difference -- Some compunctions -- Abraham Africanus the first
Control code
19594507
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xiii, 213 pages
Isbn
9780700618279
Isbn Type
(cloth : acid-free paper)
Lccn
2012001796
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
  • (OCoLC)ocn760979099
  • (OCoLC)760979099

Subject

Genre

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