@article{855680,
      author = {Masur, Louis P.,},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/855680},
      title = {Lincoln's last speech : wartime reconstruction and the  crisis of reunion /},
      abstract = {In Lincoln's Last Speech, renowned historian and author  Louis P. Masur offers insight into this critical address  and its vision of a reconstructed United States. Coming two  days after Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox and a  week after the fall of Richmond, Lincoln's speech was  expected to be a victory oration. Instead, he looked to the  future, discussing how best to restore the seceded states  to the national government, and even endorsing limited  black suffrage. Delving into the language and arguments of  Lincoln's last address, Masur traces the theme of  reconstruction as it developed throughout his presidency,  starting with the very earliest days of the war. Masur  illuminates the evolution of Lincoln's thinking and the  national debate around reconstruction, touching on key  moments such as the Proclamation of Amnesty and  Reconstruction on December 8, 1863, and Lincoln's pocket  veto of the Wade-Davis bill in July 1864. He also examines  social reconstruction, including the plight of freedmen and  the debate over the place of blacks in society; and  considers the implications of Lincoln's speech after April  1865, when Andrew Johnson assumed office and the ground was  laid for the most radical phases of the postwar policy. A  nuanced study of Lincoln's views on national  reconciliation, this work gives us a better understanding  of the failures that occurred with postwar Reconstruction  and the eventual path that brought the country to reunion.},
      recid = {855680},
      pages = {xv, 247 pages :},
}