What if you were told that the revered leader Abraham Lincoln was actually a political tyrant who stifled his opponents by suppressing their civil rights? What if you learned that the man so affectionately referred to as the “Great Emancipator” supported white supremacy and pledged not to interfere with slavery in the South? Would you suddenly start to question everything you thought you knew about Lincoln and his presidency?
You should.
Thomas J. DiLorenzo, who ignited a fierce debate about Lincoln’s legacy with his book The Real Lincoln , now presents a litany of stunning new revelations that explode the most enduring (and pernicious) myths about our sixteenth president. Marshaling an astonishing amount of new evidence, Lincoln Unmasked offers an alarming portrait of a political manipulator and opportunist who bears little resemblance to the heroic, stoic, and principled figure of mainstream history.
Did you know that Lincoln . . .
• did NOT save the union? In fact, Lincoln did more than any other individual to destroy the voluntary union the Founding Fathers recognized.
• did NOT want to free the slaves? Lincoln, who did not believe in equality of the races, wanted the Constitution to make slavery “irrevocable.”
• was NOT a champion of the Constitution? Contrary to his high-minded rhetoric, Lincoln repeatedly trampled on the Constitution—and even issued an arrest warrant for the chief justice of the United States!
• was NOT a great statesman? Lincoln was actually a warmonger who manipulated his own people into a civil war.
• did NOT utter many of his most admired quotations? DiLorenzo exposes a legion of statements that have been falsely attributed to Lincoln for generations—usually to enhance his image.
In addition to detailing Lincoln’s offenses against the principles of freedom, equality, and states’ rights, Lincoln Unmasked exposes the vast network of academics, historians, politicians, and other “gatekeepers” who have sanitized his true beliefs and willfully distorted his legacy. DiLorenzo reveals how the deification of Lincoln reflects a not-so-hidden agenda to expand the size and scope of the American state far beyond what the Founding Fathers envisioned—an expansion that Lincoln himself began.
The hagiographers have shaped Lincoln’s image to the point that it has become more fiction than fact. With Lincoln Unmasked , DiLorenzo shows us an Abraham Lincoln without the rhetoric, lies, and political bias that have clouded a disastrous president’s enduring damage to the nation.
From the Hardcover edition.
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这本关于林肯的书,简直是一场关于美国政治史的深度潜水,它没有过多纠缠于教科书里那些耳熟能详的段子,而是像一个老练的考古学家,一点点剥开历史的尘埃,试图还原一个更真实、更复杂的“国父”形象。作者的笔触细腻得惊人,尤其是在描述林肯如何应对那些内阁成员之间的权力倾轧和个人恩怨时,那种微妙的心理战术被描绘得淋漓尽致。我尤其欣赏作者对林肯早期政治生涯中那些边缘化的、看似不重要的决策的重新审视,它们像散落的线索,最终汇聚成理解他如何在南北战争的熔炉中锻造成一个铁腕领导者的关键。书中的文献引用扎实得让人敬佩,每一次的论断都有据可查,读起来让人感觉不是在看一个故事,而是在参与一场严肃的历史辩论。那种对政治权谋的洞察力,远超一般传记的范畴,它更像是一本关于危机管理和领导力哲学的案例分析,只不过主角恰好是美国历史上最受尊敬的人物之一。读完后,你不会觉得林肯变得“更不伟大”,反而会因为理解了他的挣扎、他的妥协和他的孤立无援,而对他产生一种更深层次的敬畏。
评分我必须承认,这本书的学术深度是相当可观的,它在细节的处理上达到了近乎偏执的程度,读起来需要一定的专注力和历史背景知识储备,但回报是巨大的。作者在分析林肯的法律思维和其修辞手腕时,展现了一种跨学科的洞察力,将一个政治家的思维模型拆解得非常清晰。尤其是在涉及到宪法解释和军事权力扩张的部分,那种严谨的逻辑推演,让人不得不佩服作者对法律文本的精通。这本书的论证结构极其清晰,每一个章节都像是一个精心搭建的论点,层层递进,最终构建起一个坚不可摧的整体认知体系。它不是那种可以让你在通勤路上随便翻阅的轻松读物,它更像是一本需要你带着笔记去啃读的专业著作,但正是这种深度,让它在浩如烟海的林肯传记中脱颖而出,成为一本值得反复研读的案头书。
评分从叙事节奏上来说,这本书的张力把握得极佳,它不像那种平铺直叙的流水账,反而更像是一部精心剪辑的纪录片,在关键的历史节点上,镜头会突然拉近,聚焦于某个至关重要的会议室或者林肯深夜的办公桌前,让你真切地感受到那个时代压迫性的重量。作者在描述战争时期的决策过程时,那种近乎窒息的紧张感是极具感染力的。他们没有简单地将战争描绘成正义与邪恶的对决,而是深入探讨了在资源匮乏、民意摇摆不定、国际局势瞬息万变的背景下,一个领导者是如何在无数个“两难”之间进行痛苦的权衡取舍的。我特别喜欢作者对媒体舆论和反对派声音的描绘,林肯并非是众望所归的英雄,他当时的处境是极其危险和孤立的,这种对“反面”声音的细致梳理,使得整个人物的形象更加立体、可信。每一次阅读,都像是被邀请进入了一个时间胶囊,去体验那些决定国家命运的,不为人知的片刻挣扎与坚持。
评分读完之后,我感受到的不是一个遥远的历史人物的画像,而是一个拥有着令人难以置信的韧性和适应能力的现代领导者模型。这本书的妙处在于,它将“危机中的领导力”这个主题表现得如此生动和具体。作者没有用宏大的词汇来拔高林肯,而是通过记录他在面对巨大压力时所展现出的幽默感、他处理人际关系时的微妙手腕,以及他如何运用讲故事的能力来安抚公众情绪,让我们看到了一个“活的”领导者。特别是书中关于他如何平衡不同派系对他的期望与不满的描述,简直是现代组织管理学的教科书范本,只不过这个“组织”恰好是一个正在分裂的国家。这种将历史人物还原为“高压下的决策者”的视角,极大地增强了这本书的现实意义和永恒价值,读完后,你会觉得自己不仅了解了过去,更获得了审视当前世界挑战的新工具。
评分这本书最让我感到震撼的是它对于“理想主义”与“实用主义”之间永恒拉锯的探讨,这似乎是贯穿整部作品的一条暗线。作者巧妙地设置了一个对比框架,一方面展现了林肯对《独立宣言》中“人人生而平等”的坚定信念,另一方面又毫不避讳地揭示了他在现实政治操作中,为了维护联邦统一所不得不做出的、那些在道德上颇具争议的让步和策略。这种深入骨髓的矛盾性,才是构成一个伟大历史人物的核心要素。它拒绝提供一个廉价的、黑白分明的道德审判,而是要求读者亲自去面对历史的复杂性。我可以想象,如果是在课堂上讨论这位总统,这本书提供的背景材料和分析视角,足以让任何一场讨论升级到更高的维度。它不仅仅是“讲故事”,更是在“解构”历史叙事本身,挑战我们对“英雄”二字的既有认知,非常适合那些厌倦了表面化历史描写的读者。
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