On Hallowed Ground: Abraham Lincoln and the Foundations of American History

by John Patrick Diggins

Book Overview

In this provocative book, John Patrick Diggins, hailed by Alan Ryan in the New York Times as "one of the liveliest and most interesting of contemporary intellectual historians," offers a sweeping... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300082371
• ISBN13: 9780300082371
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Our Philosopher-President

Professor John Diggins's study is part history, part philosophy, and part polemic. The title of the book suggests a study of Abraham Lincoln and his impact on American values. The exploration of this subject alone is a formidable task, but Professor Diggins adds to it with his discussions of the American Revolution, the political philosophy of Locke, the observations on American character of de Tocqueville, the political economic theorizing of Veblen and Weber, the studies of American liberalism by Louis Hartz, and much more. Professor Diggins argues against those scholars who see Lincoln exclusively as a pragmatic policitican and claims that our Sixteenth President sought a foundational, non-relativistic source for our political values in the principle that all men are created equal, and in the right of all to work and to strive to own property and to better themselves. Lincolns' philosophy, Diggins claims, had its roots in the Declaration of Independence and in Lockean ideas. His reading of Lincoln is supported by discussions of numberous speeches and writings, most of which can be found in the wonderful two-volume Library of America edition of Lincoln's writings.The broad targets of Professor Diggins's book are philosophical relativists. Much of the book, however, is devoted to a polemic against modern multiculturalism and deconstruction. Lincoln, the philosophy of consensus (one shared broadly by Americans irrespective of their interest group, race, sex, status), and the value of work motivated by material self-interest are defended as an integral part of the American vision, striven for by all and, paradoxically, expanding the scope of our liberties.The book suffers, I think, from being overly ambitious and from its structure. The arguments are unduly repetitive and this, I think, hinders Professor Diggins from developing them with the depth they deserve. The book strays too far from Lincoln. While much of the discussion of other figures in the book is valuable and illuminating, particularly the discussion of Professor Hartz and of the Federalists, it moves too far from Lincoln or, more precisely, it gives the book a loose free-wheeling character with ideas suggested rather than sufficiently developed. Similarly, Professor Diggins's criticism of multiculturalism, with which I greatly sympathize, is not well integrated with the rest of the book. It is simply too much to do a political polemic, a study of Lincoln, and a treatment of American intellectual history in a single, relatively short volume.These quibbles to one side, the work is well worth reading. It explores our American heritage, challenges prevailing orthodoxies and offers much for further study and reflection. This is a worthwhile exploration of important issues in the nature of our precious American experience.

Thoroughly Enjoyable

This book presents an excellent and very articulate summary of not only President Lincoln, but the entire nation as a whole. It sure seems that John Diggins has been 'diggin' through a lot of material, and has come up with excellent research, and it shows in the quality of this publication. Two thumbs up!