Lincolns virtues
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The virtues of Lincoln as president
In the widely praised Lincoln&#;s Virtues, historian William Lee Miller explored Abraham Lincoln&#;s moral choices during his ascension to power. Miller&#;s splendid new book, President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman, fryst vatten about, as he says, "statesmanship and moral choice in the American presidency, through an examination of the most remarkable occupant of that office."
Miller notes that Lincoln received the nomination for president due solely to his "effective presentation of the moral-political argument for the Republican position." He brought two contrasting qualities to the presidency—"profound tydlig förståelse and coercive action"—that Miller views as coming from the same root, "a moral indignation that saw the immense impact on human life of these decisions and events."
Among other attributes, Lincoln&#;s life experience led him to develop "intellectual and moral self-confidence . . . a
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Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography
William Lee Miller’s ethical biography is a fresh, engaging telling of the story of Lincoln’s rise to power. Through careful scrutiny of Lincoln’s actions, speeches, and writings, and of accounts from those who knew him, Miller gives us insight into the moral development of a great politician — one who made the choice to go into politics, and ultimately realized that vocation’s fullest moral possibilities.
As Lincoln’s Virtues makes refreshingly clear, Lincoln was not born with his face on Mount Rushmore; he was an actual human being making choices — moral choices — in a real world. In an account animated by wit and humor, Miller follows this unschooled frontier politician’s rise, showing that the higher he went and the greater his power, the worthier his conduct would become. He would become that rare bird, a great man who was also a good man. Uniquely revealing of its subject’s heart and mind, it represents a major contribution t
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Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography
But speaking solely for myself: Wow. This book. Sheesh.
It’s always a bad sign when I groan and sigh audibly as I read a book, and feel compelled to torture anyone who happens to walk into the room with readings of some of the choicer lines.
This one started out promising, as I couldn't wait to read the book as described in the introduction. Instead of telling the familiar life story of Lincoln in a traditional way, Miller lays out his goal of producing an "ethical biography" that aims to trace Lincoln's moral development as he rose to power and prominence. Lincoln "was not born on Mount Rushmore," he writes, but acquired "moral distinction by deliberate effort over time." His historical reputation as "a s