From Buffoon to Philosopher King: The Many Faces of Abraham Lincoln

This class will examine the different visions Americans have held about Lincoln from his own time to the present. While most Americans have regarded him as a "secular saint" and granted him a place in the pantheon of our nation's greatest heroes, others have ridiculed him as a country bumpkin, or decried him as a dictator. Most contemporary historians see the "Great Emancipator" as the foremost advocate for African American freedom and equality, but others view him as a racist and hypocrite. We will sift through the kaleidoscopic images of Lincoln as they evolved over the years, and make an assessment of which views are valid, and which are unfair.