Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words Book

In light of today's presidential practice of communicating via impulsive, shallow and boorish "tweets" it is inspiring to study the magnificent writing skill of our greatest president. This book is a deep analysis of Lincoln's approach to writing and his mastery of communicating complex ideas to the general public in an accessible fashion.

Lincoln used writing to crystallize and communicate his thinking on the principles and values that defined and gave meaning to the purposes of the war. For Lincoln the main issue of the war was not slavery (although for Lincoln slavery was morally repulsive), it was the preservation of the union; not only for its own sake, but for the guiding light the American example of self-governance offered to the world. One must always remember that while Lincoln was deeply committed to the Constitution and the rule of law, to him the under girding principle at the foundation of the polity was the principle enunciated in the Declaration that "All men are created equal." As the war progressed, Lincoln saw that the perpetuation of slavery in a reunited nation would be inimical to long-term sustainable union. Hence, he surely realized, the Emancipation Proclamation, overtly intended as a war measure, opened the inevitable prospect of permanent emancipation.

The author tells us that Lincoln spent hours in deep contemplation as he wrote, often making multiple revisions to speeches or letters. He also made use of "pre-writing" where he would jot down ideas and concepts for later inclusion in written works. Lincoln was not formally educated in the rhetorical styles of the 19th century, and his writing was sometimes criticized by the literary elite for its "homespun" structure, but it can be said that he reformed the nature of writing style in ways that created an authentic American voice. This is not to suggest that the ideas he sought to convey were unsophisticated, quite the contrary, but the accessibility of these ideas made his written communications so powerful an influence on the public mind.

The book analyzes Lincoln's writing through several of its notable modes. It discusses the "Farewell Address" to his followers as he departed Springfield for Washington to take the oath of office. Here what might have been a spontaneous and extemporaneous expression of thanks was actually a deeply thought out view of the challenges facing the nation. The First Inaugural Address and his July 4, 1861 address to Congress are similarly analyzed, particularly in terms of the pitch perfect tone and careful attention to meaning Lincoln sought to convey to various audiences. Lincoln did seek and made use of opinions of others as he went through the drafting process and he often read his speeches or letters aloud to get the sense of how they would be perceived by the listener and reader -- indeed Lincoln was somewhat of an "aural" writer and this shaped the reception he wished the formal structure to elicit. (His "overuse" of commas was actually a purposeful phrasing means to structure how the oral message would be heard.)

The Emancipation Proclamation went through a series of drafts over many months. Here Lincoln was exceedingly careful and cautious about the message in the context of his political aims. He knew that he must tread lightly on the fears of the border slave states even though emancipation did not pertain there. He was aware that Northern sentiments were far from comfortable with abolition as a purpose of the war. He also knew that the proclamation would be highly vulnerable to Constitutional challenges if not narrowly justified as a necessary war measure, the authority to impose he had as commander-in-chief during rebellion. The proclamation also included his intention to recruit blacks into the union army. Lincoln certainly knew that once the gates of freedom were opened, and the war effort supported by blacks, they could never be closed.

Lincoln initiated a new approach to educating the general public. He wrote letters to prominent newspapers and to individuals that he expected would be published widely. His unorthodoxy raised some eyebrows among the political establishment, but his letters were so compelling and so powerful that even his detractors acknowledged how public opinion was being shaped by them. The Greeley letter, the Corning letter and the Conkling letter are examined in close detail. In a sense this method of communicating directly with the public is mirrored in our current president's use of social media, but the substance, content and aims of the two could not stand in greater contrast.

The Gettysburg Address is explored in great depth including an examination of the facts and myths of its preparation. While the reviews of the speech were initially mixed, it soon dawned on all that the dedication and consecration of a battlefield cemetery was actually a powerful consecration of a new conception of the meaning of freedom in a self-governed nation. It has been said, quite aptly, that the republic's tripod of liberty is the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Gettysburg Address.

The book concludes with an in-depth look at the Second Inaugural Address, arguably the finest speech in American history. In it Lincoln boldly focuses the nation on moral responsibility for the war. Lincoln had by this time taken a view that the mystery of Providence's will that a war of such horror and suffering should be fought meant that responsibility resided not solely on the South. Rather, both North and South shared in the "offense" of perpetuating two hundred and fifty years of slavery; hence, both must jointly bear the burdens of rebuilding a unified nation. Opening a path for reconciliation could not have been more compellingly stated.

We think today about the nature of populism in American politics and the kinds of leaders populist sentiment produces. Lincoln surely was a populist president. He frequently was disparaged by the intellectual elite as a man without education who was known for risque story telling; a man of little substance and depth. While Lincoln was unquestionably a man for the common man, he was a genius in divining the great depths of meanings about the American experience and expressing these meanings so clearly and powerfully.