And There Was Light

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A president who governed a divided nation offers valuable insights into today's polarization and political crises. Abraham Lincoln led during a time of fierce secessionist opposition, where issues of money, power, race, identity, and faith clashed. He was both reviled and revered, embodying the complexities of presidential power and its limitations. Often viewed as either a distant icon or a calculating politician, this biographer presents a more relatable Lincoln—an imperfect man whose moral commitment to antislavery was crucial to America's quest for justice. This portrayal reveals Lincoln's early influences, including the sermons of Baptist preachers that shaped his belief in slavery as a moral evil. He sought to "do right as God gave him light to see the right." The narrative spans Lincoln's life from his 1809 birth on the Kentucky frontier to his leadership during the Civil War and tragic assassination in 1865. It explores his rise, self-education, personal struggles, political failures, and unwavering conviction that slavery must end. Set against the backdrop of the courageous enslaved and Black Americans of the era, Lincoln's story sheds light on the dynamics of politics, the exercise of power in a tumultuous democracy, the persistence of white supremacy, and the role of conscience in shaping history.