A review by bobbo49
The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner

4.0

Very well written history, focused on the evolution of Lincoln's views on slavery and post-slavery freemen, from his earliest days in Kentucky through his death. Like John Kerry, Lincoln was (and sometimes still is) criticized for "changing his mind," as if one's views should not evolve as one matures. Long a supporter of colonization (sending freed slaves to Africa or elsewhere outside the United States), at the end Lincoln became a supporter of true liberty and a multi-racial society (if not quite an advocate of full equality in political rights).