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Lincoln and the fight for peace / John Avlon.

Avlon, John P., (author.).

Summary:
"A groundbreaking, revelatory history of Abraham Lincoln's plan to secure a just and lasting peace after the Civil War-a vision that inspired future presidents as well as the world's most famous peacemakers, including Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a story of war and peace, race and reconciliation"-- Provided by publisher.
As the tide of the Civil War turned in the spring of 1865, Abraham Lincoln took a dangerous two-week trip to visit the troops on the front lines accompanied by his young son, seeing combat up close, meeting liberated slaves in the ruins of Richmond, and comforting wounded Union and Confederate soldiers. The power of Lincoln's personal example in the closing days of the war offers a portrait of a peacemaker. He did not demonize people he disagreed with. He used humor, logic, and scripture to depolarize bitter debates. Balancing moral courage with moderation, Lincoln believed that decency could be the most practical form of politics, but he understood that people were more inclined to listen to reason when greeted from a position of strength. Ulysses S. Grant's famously generous terms of surrender to General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox that April were a direct expression of the president's belief that a soft peace should follow a hard war. While his assassination sent the country careening off course, Lincoln's vision would be vindicated long after his death, inspiring future generations in their own quests to secure a just and lasting peace. As US General Lucius Clay, architect of the post-WWII German occupation, said when asked what guided his decisions: "I tried to think of the kind of occupation the South would have had if Abraham Lincoln had lived." Lincoln and the Fight for Peace reveals how Lincoln's character informed his commitment to unconditional surrender followed by a magnanimous peace. Even during the Civil War, surrounded by reactionaries and radicals, he refused to back down from his belief that there is more that unites us than divides us. But he also understood that peace needs to be waged with as much intensity as war. Lincoln's plan to win the peace is his unfinished symphony, but in its existing notes, we can find an anthem that can begin to bridge our divisions today.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781982108120
  • ISBN: 1982108126
  • Physical Description: x, 354 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Simon & Schuster, 2022.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-339) and index.
Subject: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 > Influence.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 > Military leadership.
United States > History > Civil War, 1861-1865 > Peace.
Civil-military relations > United States > History > 19th century.

Available copies

  • 8 of 11 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 11 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Albright Memorial Library 973.7 AVLON (Text) 50686016149192 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Cambria County Library 973.7 A959l (Text) 85131001830216 CACM Non-Fiction Available -
Harbaugh-Thomas Library (Biglerville) 973.7092 AVLON (Text)
Endowment: Robert D. Fidler Named Endowment, 2022
35740635817554 Nonfiction Available -
Reading Public Library RPL - Main 973.7 Avl (Text) 33223008753914 Non-fiction Available -
Spring Township Library 973.7 AVL (Text) 33249024575353 Non-fiction Available -
Taylor Community Library 973.7 AVLON (Text) 50692010964768 Adult Nonfiction Checked Out 04/05/2024
Village Library Adults 973.7 AVL Nonfiction (Text) 34215000800643 Main Room Available -
West Lawn-Wyomissing Hills Library 973.7 AVL (Text) 33249024345906 Non-fiction Available -
Bethlehem Main Library 973.709 (Text) 33062009709636 Adult Nonfiction Checked Out 05/08/2024
Clymer Library 973.7AVL (Text) 32596000510726 Adult Nonfiction Checked Out 05/09/2024


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