Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment

ISBN: 0593534441

Author: Guelzo, Allen C.

Condition: New

An intimate study of Abraham Lincolns powerful vision of democracy, which guided him through the Civil War and is still relevant today-by a best-selling historian and three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize*Winner of the 2024 Abraham Lincoln Institute Book Prize**Finalist for the 2025 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize*"It is altogether fitting and proper that, with this meditation on democracy and its most subtle defender, Allen Guelzo again demonstrates that he is todays most profound interpreter of this nations history and significance." -George F. WillAbraham Lincoln grappled with the greatest crisis of democracy that has ever confronted the United States. While many books have been written about his temperament, judgment, and steady hand in guiding the country through the Civil War, we know less about Lincolns penetrating ideas and beliefs about democracy, which were every bit as important as his character in sustaining him through the crisis.Allen C. Guelzo, one of Americas foremost experts on Lincoln, captures the presidents firmly held belief that democracy was the greatest political achievement in human history. He shows how Lincolns deep commitment to the balance between majority and minority rule enabled him to stand firm against secession while also committing the Union to reconciliation rather than recrimination in the aftermath of war. In bringing his subject to life as a rigorous and visionary thinker, Guelzo assesses Lincolns actions on civil liberties and his views on race, and explains why his vision for the role of government would have made him a pivotal president even if there had been no Civil War. Our Ancient Faith gives us a deeper understanding of this endlessly fascinating man and shows how his ideas are still sharp and relevant more than 150 years later.