“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” These words were written by an enslaver who held to white supremacy, yet they inspired a nation and inspire it still. A few (like Dr. King) have reached Lincoln’s heights, but no one has surpassed his personal struggle for a union without slavery. One of today’s great biographers of American history (Jon Meacham) eloquently takes on telling Lincoln’s life story to illustrate how its impact echoes to the present.
Receiving little formal education, perhaps born illegitimately, self-trained as a lawyer, from the backwoods of the then-West, Lincoln rose to become perhaps the most eminent character of nineteenth-century world history. He embodied the hope of America by his story, and as president, he extended that hope through emancipation to an entire race. The struggle to fulfill that hope was passed on to the American people after his untimely assassination, and that struggle, led by imperfect but scrappy people, continues today.
Lincoln is a giant, and he has been well-eulogized and well-chronicled by biographers since his death. Meacham is merely the latest to lend his pen towards the effort. But Meacham is no slouch and has a track record of enlivening the life stories of some of America’s greatest historical figures. As a fan of Meacham, I will say that this biography certainly fulfills his potential for eloquence, idealism, and directness. He reminds us all of the promise of self-government for all by all and of all and the hope to the world of the American experiment, despite our many flaws. Anyone who wishes to be inspired to do better as people will benefit from Meacham’s telling of Lincoln’s story.
And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle
By Jon Meacham
Narrated by Jon Meacham
Copyright (c) 2022
Random House Audio
ASIN B09W34B832
Length: 17:49
Genre: Biography, American History
www.amazon.com