Lincoln's Tragic Pragmatism: Lincoln, Douglas, and Moral Conflict

by John Burt

Book Overview

In their famous debates, Lincoln and Douglas struggled with how to behave when an ethical conflict like slavery strained democracy's commitment to rule by both consent and principle. What conscience demands and what it can persuade others to agree to are not always the same. Ultimately, this tragic limitation of liberalism led Lincoln to war.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674050185
• ISBN13: 9780674050181
• Release Date: January 2013
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 832 Pages
• Weight: 2.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 6.7" x 9.3"