The Contradictions of Abraham Lincoln

Throughline

NPR

Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.6 • 16.4K Ratings

🗓️ 12 October 2023

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1855, Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to his best friend, Joshua Speed. Speed was from a wealthy, slave-owning Kentucky family; Lincoln believed slavery was wrong. You are mistaken about this, Lincoln wrote to Speed. But, differ we must." One way for Lincoln to have dealt with his best friend, I suppose, would be to say you're a horrible person, you're morally wrong, and I shun you," says NPR's Steve Inskeep. "Lincoln did not take that approach, which I think might be a little controversial today."You might know Steve primarily for hosting NPR's Morning Edition. He also writes histories, and his newest book, "Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America," takes a long hard look at Lincoln the politician: the man who went out of his way to build political consensus, even with people whose views he considered noxious. It's a case for why we should collaborate, and yes, compromise with people across the aisle – not because it's nice or the right thing to do, but because it makes our government work. Today on Throughline, a conversation with Steve Inskeep about the contradictions of Abraham Lincoln.

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0:00.0	Gaza and Israel, Ukraine. The world is changing in big ways every day.
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0:21.8	His speeches are fallen like a wet blanket here. They put to flight to all notions of greatness.
0:27.8	This government has no constitutional power to involve us of the free states
0:32.8	and the turpitude of slavery.
0:34.8	As to the politics of Washington, the most striking thing is the absence of personal loyalty to the president.
0:40.8	It does not exist.
0:42.8	Whoever lived through the next four years will see Mr. Lincoln and his administration
0:47.8	attacked more bitterling for their pro-slavery truckling than for doing any anti-slavery work.
0:54.8	The president had his wife's will and would use it rightly. Our affairs would look much better.
0:59.8	Universally an admitted failure has no will, no courage, no executive capacity.
1:06.8	The obscene ape of Illinois is about to be deposed from the Washington Purple.
1:10.8	And the White House will echo to his little jokes no more.
1:14.8	He is evidently a person a very inferior cast of character, wholly unequal to the crisis.
1:20.8	And himself seems to have no nerve or decision in dealing with great issues.
1:39.8	Being a politician is a perilous job.
1:42.8	Where criticism is inevitable and someone is always bound to be left unhappy with what you do.
1:48.8	It's a word that has developed negative connotations.
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