Abraham Lincoln

Gr 5 Up—The author adroitly reviews the facts of Lincoln's entire life, divided into 16 chapters, and examines his emergence as a politician and his views on slavery. Kanefield covers his rise as a successful lawyer to his serving in the Illinois legislature and one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. His run for the U.S. Senate in 1858 thrust Lincoln into the national spotlight. The author makes clear that Lincoln's firm devotion to the principles of the Declaration of Independence and his belief that all men were entitled to the fruits of their labors guided his presidency as he led the nation toward the abolition of slavery. The author utilizes quotes from a variety of sources, including Michael Burlingame's Abraham Lincoln: A Life, and covers a wide range of historical issues, giving readers a sense of the complexity of Lincoln's time and the issues that divided the United States. Selected writings of Lincoln complete the back matter. It should be noted that factual errors exist throughout: Willie Lincoln was age 11 when he died, not age seven; and Ulysses Grant was a native of Ohio, not New York.