Lincoln's Bicentennial Year

Today marks the 200th Anniversary of Lincoln's birth. It is likely that we will see a lot of Lincolnian retrospectives during this year. Lincoln has always been a complex figure for me. On the one hand I learned the story of his role in emancipation and the Civil War. On the other, there is considerable record in his tenure of expansions of governmental power, which may or may not have been necessary.

But in the last year, I have found two resources that I thought were exceptionally valuable. The first is a book, Team of Rivals, by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin about the interaction of Lincoln's cabinet. It is a stunning testament to his political acumen.

The second is a series of lectures, that are available as podcasts from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The Center is a great resource. Their podcasts of lectures are often interesting. In the last few months they have presented a series of programs on the legacy of 1808. When the Constitution was originally written it had the infamous 3/5 clause but it also had a provision which began to ban importation of slaves in 1808. But the provision required an implementation process. The lectures have been an interesting set of perspectives on the discussions surrounding that congressional process as well as things that developed as a result of that action including reconstruction. The Center has brought together some interesting scholars to discuss the issues.

Our current president has a lot of characteristics in common with Lincoln, including a lack of executive or even direct political experience, so understanding more about Lincoln could well give us clues about our current incumbent.