The eloquent president :

White, Ronald C. 1939-

The eloquent president : a portrait of Lincoln through his words / Ronald C. White, Jr. - 1st ed. - New York : Random House, c2005. - xxiii, 448 p. : ill., ports. ; 25 cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [403]-421) and index.

Historian Ronald White examines Lincoln's astonishing oratory and explores his growth as a leader, a communicator, and a man of deepening spiritual conviction. Examining a different speech, address, or public letter in each chapter, White tracks the evolution of Lincoln's rhetoric from the measured, lawyerly tones of the First Inaugural to the haunting, immortal poetry of the Gettysburg Address. As a speaker who appealed not to intellect alone, but also to the hearts and souls of citizens, Lincoln persuaded the nation to follow him during the darkest years of the Civil War. Through the speeches and what surrounded them, we see the full sweep and meaning of the Lincoln presidency.--Publisher.

1400061199 (alk. paper)

2004050766


Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 --Oratory.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 --Correspondence.


Presidents--United States--Biography.
Eloquence--Case studies.
Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States--Case studies.
Speeches, addresses, etc., American--History and criticism.
American letters--History and criticism.


United States--Politics and government--1861-1865.

E457.2 / .W6155 2005

973.7/092 B