In the climax of Richard Lawrence Miller’s epic four-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln’s pre-presidential years, a blunder by the proponents of slavery propels Lincoln toward the White House. Initially, passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act seems to be a victory for the South, opening the American West to slavery. Ultimately, however, the North rises in anger, with Lincoln helping to fan the flames of rage. Before the first shot of the Civil War is fired, the ambitious westerner is transformed, seeking more power yet, but wielding it in defense of the American dream. His dedication and dependability set him apart from his Republican competitors and help him secure his party’s presidential nomination in 1860. With this installment, the most detailed and comprehensive biography of a pre-presidential Abraham Lincoln in the past 100 years comes to its conclusion.

Richard Lawrence Miller is a retired community organizer and public radio producer. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

Richard Lawrence Miller
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 407
Bibliographic Info: 87 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-5929-2
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8812-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v

Preface      1

1. 1854: Illinois      3

2. 1854: Washington      7

3. 1854: Back to Illinois      29

4. 1854: Kansas      69

5. 1854–1855: Reaching for the Senate      76

6. 1855: “Beaten Out”      94

7. 1856: Free Soil, Free Speech      122

8. 1856: Free Men and Frémont      150

9. 1857: Eye of the Hurricane      187

10. 1858: The Supreme Effort      216

11. 1859: Mountain Climbing      273

12. 1860: Promoted to Glory      309

Chapter Notes      361

Sources      386

Index      395

About the series: “Miller has done a formidable amount of reading in the Lincoln literature, as well as fine-combing the Illinois newspapers for previously unknown material”—Civil War News; “has great value and is distinctive”—Civil War Book Review; “brings the world of Lincoln and the early western frontier to life”—Patricia L. Goitein, Editor, Galena Trail newsletter; “Miller succeeds in his goal of laying out for all time the documentary record of Lincoln’s political actions”—Civil War Studies; “abundant new information…a massive infusion of new material on Lincoln’s initiation into politics and his rise to a position of leadership…survey of Illinois newspapers for these years is beyond anything previously attempted…another impressive feat is Miller’s mining of the political handbill collection…an invaluable contribution”—Journal of American History; “full of revelations”—Popmatters.com.