Lincoln’s Last Speech
LINCOLN’S LAST SPEECH. Louis Masur. Oxford University Press.
Cover courtesy of Oxford University Press.
Louis Masur is a widely respected historian and Professor of American Studies at Rutgers University whose authoritative insight renders Lincoln’s Last Speech an indispensable read. Here, Masur dissects the language of Lincoln’s last address as a means to chart how his argument for reconstruction evolved. At the time Lincoln made this presentation on April 11, 1865, the North and South were beset with strife as the nation tried to rediscover its balance in the wake of the brutality of the Civil War. In turn, Masur’s treatise shows us what the shape of the President’s policy might have resembled had he not been assassinated. Even though this book is about America 150 years ago, readers can nonetheless draw a distinct parallel to the grave challenges the country faces today.
Electric Review 