Mr. Lincoln: The Life of Abraham Lincoln

By: Allen C. Guelzo, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Allen C. Guelzo

Five days after Abraham Lincoln was buried in Springfield, Illinois, John Locke Scripps, who had convinced Lincoln to write his first campaign autobiography, asserted that the 16th president had become, "the Great American Man - the grand central figure in American (perhaps the World's) History."

Historians still find it hard to quibble with Scripps's opinion. Lincoln was the central figure in the nation's greatest crisis, the Civil War. His achievements in office make as good a case as any that he was the greatest president in U.S. history.

What made Lincoln great? What was it about him that struck those who knew him? This fast-moving series of 12 lectures explores those questions with the help of one of our most distinguished Lincoln scholars and award-winning author.

The lectures take you through Lincoln's life, from his forebears' arrival in America to an evaluation of his legacy. And you'll come to know the man through the eyes of those who knew, lived with, and worked with him.

In presenting Lincoln, Professor Guelzo explores three themes: What ideas were at the core of his understanding of American politics? Why did he oppose slavery, and what propelled him, in the 1850s, into the open opposition to slavery that led to his election to the presidency in 1860? What gifts equipped Lincoln to lead the nation through the "fiery trial" of the Civil War? The result is an understanding of Lincoln as a man who envisioned a nation of self-governing equals wise enough to be guided not just by self-interest or popular enthusiasm, but by an abiding sense of right and wrong. Ultimately, he gave that nation, in his words, "a new birth of freedom."

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

Eloquent, Interesting & Insightful

As a student of history I am very familiar with Abraham Lincoln but even so Allen C. Guelzo’s lectures both provide new information about Lincoln and also interpret’s Lincoln’s beliefs & actions in a way that is extremely insightful. This course is a must for those interested in Lincoln, the Civil War, American History, politics.

Great listen

Loved it! It was well written and loved the insight into a great presidents life.

Lincoln the Human Being

Superb brief overview of our greatest President. Really a valuable series of lectures that raise the key issues.

Spectacular! Inspiring!

Guelzo never disappoints! He blends history with phenomenal reflective snippets all in superb prose. This was my fifth course of his to listen to. I recommend them all.

An amazing journey!

This is my first time downloading one of these lecture series. I very much enjoyed listening to this as I am a bit of a history buff regarding the Civil War and especially our greatest president. The lecture had a great voice and kept things very interesting throughout this entire series.

Cool overview.

Last lecture has the good stuff as far as why Lincoln is (or should be still) relevant today. I found this to be a good refresher and overview of the man. Scholars probably want something a little deeper, but I picked up a couple of nuggets and anecdotes that made it worthwhile.

Fascinating!

This course was excellent! Highly recommended. Brings Lincoln the man and the politician to life!

Fantastic presentation

I loved the focus of the course to stay focused on Lincoln in the midst of a lot of interesting history. The Speaker was fantastic

Great quick summary of Lincoln's life

In my opinion this lecturer is amazingly good. He always has rich content and delivers it in a compelling (almost spellbinding) way. I can't imagine a better quick 6 hour insight into Lincoln. It makes me want to dig into a much deeper history of the man (although I think I now have a good sense of the key aspects of his life). The lecturer's passion and admiration for Lincoln help make the course very engaging.

Cautiously giving a 4.5-star rating

This is a short course (as indicated by the length given in the description) on the life of Lincoln so nobody should expect an in-depth study. I've read many books on Lincoln and his family, and more books on the Civil War. In 50 years, I've learned a lot so this was just a light refresher for me. That said, I found it to be accurate* and a good jumping point for a listener new to Lincoln and the Civil War.

My soap box: The half-star deduction is because I had a hard time deciding if Dr. Guelzo was using too much of William Herndon's accounts of Mary Lincoln and the Lincoln marriage. Herndon was an alcoholic who was not welcome in the Lincoln home as Mary did not like him. I find it hard to believe that he would know much of what transpired between Abraham and Mary when he could have little or no first-hand, in-person experience. Lincoln was known for keeping his own counsel so I'm fairly certain he would not confide in Herndon about his marriage. A man who inscribes his wife's wedding band with "Love Is Eternal" is not a man dragged to the altar against his will. Since Dr. Guelzo did mention Mary's poor treatment at the hands of Washington society, I'm inclined to think I may be a little too touchy on the subject. For those whose only knowledge of Mary is of her mental instability, I would say they must know nothing of her hardships in life and the absence of the modern pharmaceuticals with which her condition could have been treated were she alive today.

*Some historians believe that their home in Springfield, which was expanded to two stories while Lincoln was away, may have been paid for by an inheritance that Mary received upon the death of her father.