Did Lincoln Save Global Democracy or Undermine It Using Wartime Powers?

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Did Abraham Lincoln preserve democracy during the Civil War, or did he endanger it in the process? To explore this paradox, we’re joined by renowned historian and Lincoln scholar Allen Guelzo, author of Our Ancient Faith. Guelzo takes us deep into the high-stakes decisions of Lincoln’s presidency, from the suspension of habeas corpus to the Emancipation Proclamation. He argues that Lincoln’s vision of democracy was rooted in a moral imperative to save the Union as a global symbol of self-governance. But was his willingness to push the boundaries of executive power a necessary evil—or a dangerous precedent?

We discuss how Lincoln reconciled his wartime decisions with the principles of the Founding Fathers, why the 1864 election might be democracy's greatest test, and how his book, Our Ancient Faith, sheds light on Lincoln’s belief in the Union as a sacred trust. Whether you see Lincoln as the Great Emancipator or the reluctant authoritarian, this episode will leave you rethinking what it means to lead a democracy in its darkest hour.

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Transcript

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0:11.3	Noble gold investments.com.
0:19.3	Scott here with another episode of the History Unplugged podcast.
0:22.6	Did Abraham Lincoln save democracy during the Civil War?
0:25.4	Or did he threaten to destroy it?
0:27.2	Most people would assume the former view because Lincoln's primary goal at the Civil
0:30.9	War was to maintain the United States as a single unified nation.
0:34.6	Abolition came second, and it wasn't really push up his priority list until the end of the war.
0:39.3	Lincoln believed that democracy would fail worldwide if the union collapsed, as it would prove that a
0:43.8	government of the people, by the people, and for the people couldn't endure internal strife.
0:48.3	And there were a number of monarchists in Europe who supported the Confederacy because they wanted
0:52.9	to show their people that the masses,
0:54.9	most of whom were uneducated and illiterate, couldn't govern themselves. But when people talk about
0:59.3	Lincoln threatening democracy during civil war, they usually point to the suspension of habeas corpus,
1:04.2	allowing the government to detain individuals without trial. He also brought in the powers of the
1:08.3	presidency and bypass Congress to make unilateral decisions during the war.
1:12.0	He authorized military actions, blockades, and the arrest of political opponents without legislative approval.
1:16.7	He also censored the press, had military trials for civilians, and critics today of Lincoln say that he broke away from the Jeffersonian vision of the American Republic and put America on a trajectory toward authoritarianism.
1:28.9	What were Lincoln's beliefs about democracy? And since he's, I would say,
1:32.8	inarguably the most influential president we've ever had, what does that mean for today?
1:37.9	I'm speaking with Alan Guelso, a scholar of Lincoln who's written numerous books on him,
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