Abraham Lincoln and the Virtues of War: How Civil War Families Challenged and Transformed Our National Values

Commendation Quotes: "Jean Friedman presents the complexity, tension, and contingence of human decision-making in time of war. Her examination of war as a moral issue is a sound and thoughtful work, telling a complex history through the stories of people. Beginning with Abraham Lincoln and his analysis of the virtues of a war for national unity, she then examines specific families and individuals for their personal, political decisions, people both north and south, both black and white. As she scrutinizes individuals' decisions in the face of vexing questions of how to live with split families and a split nation, she credits the importance of core civic virtues, such as honor, patriotism, commitment, and justice. With this philosophical exploration of individuals' personal integrity and their reactions to family honor and civic responsibility, Friedman enlarges our understanding of war."Commendation Quotes: "Crisis reveals essence in human affairs-- what folks are made of.' Americans acknowledge, even celebrate, this truth by creating crises--job interviews, shoot-outs, goal line stands, final exams, and more. Jean Friedman explores the impact of the Civil War upon the structure and values of families. She dissects several families, northern and southern, and pays particular attention to Abraham Lincoln's familial virtues. Her insights are novel and brilliant. Friedman offers an exciting new dimension to the study of the American Civil War. "Marc Notes: This study introduces a new perspective on Lincoln and the Civil War through an examination of his declaration of our national values and the subsequent interpretation of those values by families during the war. Biographical Note: Jean E. Friedman, PhD, is associate professor emerita of history at the University of Georgia, Athens. Publisher Marketing: This volume is a completely new approach to Civil War history. Historians rightly regard Abraham Lincoln as a moral exemplar, a president who gave new life to the national values that defined America. While some previous studies attest to Lincoln's identification with family virtues, this is the first to link Lincoln's personal biography with actual histories of families at war. It analyzes the relationship that existed between Lincoln and these families and assesses the moral struggles that validated the families' decision for or against the conflict. Written to be accessible to students and the general reader alike, the book examines Lincoln's presidency as measured against the stories of families, North and South, that struggled with his definition of Union virtues. It looks at Lincoln's compelling case for democratic values--among them, justice, patriotism, honor, and commitment--first stated in his 1861 speech before Independence Hall. The work also uses case studies to demonstrate how virtue, as practiced in families, illuminated, contested, adapted, and even transformed his concept, giving new meaning to the "virtues of war."

Contributor Bio:  Friedman, Jean E Friedman is an associate professor of history at the University of Georgia.