Lincoln, Land, and Labor 1809-1860

Fraysse, Olivier [Trans. by Sylvia Neely]

ISBN 10: 0252019792 / ISBN 13: 9780252019791

Published by University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1994

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Lincoln, Land, and Labor 1809-1860

Publisher: University of Illinois Press, Urbana

Publication Date: 1994

Binding: Cloth

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

Edition: First Printing

About this title

Synopsis:

How did Abraham Lincoln's agrarian background shape his worldview?
In Lincoln, Land, and Labor the French scholar Olivier Fraysse traces Lincoln's problematic relationship with and ideas about the land and those who worked it, revealing Lincoln as an intelligent and ambitious man who in fact turned his back on his rural roots for a time in favor of the opportunities offered in law and politics. In revealing Lincoln's estrangement from the rural masses and analyzing his perception of the differences between free and slave labor, Fraysse illuminates Lincoln's ideas on agriculture and industry, the disposal of public lands, and the place of blacks and Indians in American life.
The author provides useful and provocative insights about Lincoln's career as an Illinois legislator and congressman and ties the theme of the land to Lincoln's growing interest in slavery.
Fraysse assesses Lincoln's career using explicit references to class analysis. The author concludes that the slavery issue, by bridging the differences between rich and poor, made possible the formation of a strong Republican party.

About the Author:

Olivier Fraysse is an associate professor of American studies at the University of Sorbonne Nouvelle.