cover image His Greatest Speeches: How Lincoln Moved the Nation

His Greatest Speeches: How Lincoln Moved the Nation

Diana Schaub. St. Martin’s, $27.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-250-76345-7

In this astute blend of history and textual analysis, Schaub (Erotic Liberalism), a professor of political science at Loyola University Maryland, painstakingly analyzes three of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches for his thoughts on the “meaning of America” and insights into how he attempted to heal the country’s partisan divides. In line-by-line breakdowns of the 1838 Lyceum Address, the 1863 Gettysburg Address, and the 1865 Second Inaugural address, Schaub reveals how each speech was pegged to a specific landmark in U.S. history (respectively, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the arrival of the first African slaves) and furthered Lincoln’s larger goal of bridging the divide between America’s ideals and its practices. Throughout, Schaub highlights Lincoln’s deliberate word choices (he refers to “the Southern part” of the Union, rather than simply “the South” in the Second Inaugural) and defiance of rhetorical and political conventions. She notes, for instance, that the Gettysburg Address is a “war speech” that “never mentions the enemy,” and that the Second Inaugural studiously—and somewhat awkwardly—avoids first-person singular pronouns. Schaub also draws incisive comparisons to addresses by George Washington, Daniel Webster, and Frederick Douglass, among others, and skillfully unearths biblical and literary allusions studded throughout the texts. Lincolnophiles with a literary bent will savor this rewarding deep dive. (Nov.)