THE UNPOPULAR MR. LINCOLN: The Story of America's Most Reviled President [Hardcover]

Larry Tagg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2009

Today, Abraham Lincoln is a beloved American icon, widely considered to be our best president. It was not always so. Larry Tagg's The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln is the first study of its kind to concentrate on what Lincoln's contemporaries actually thought of him during his lifetime. Be forewarned: your preconceived notions are about to be shattered.

Torn by civil war, the era in which our sixteenth president lived and governed was the most rough-and-tumble in the history of American politics. The violence of the criticism aimed at Lincoln by the great men of his time on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line is simply startling. Indeed, the breadth and depth of the spectacular prejudice against him is often shocking for its cruelty, intensity, and unrelenting vigor. The plain truth is that Mr. Lincoln was deeply reviled by many who knew him personally, and by hundreds of thousands who only knew of him.

Boisterous and venomous enough to be good entertainment, The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln rests upon a wide foundation of research that includes years of searching through contemporary newspapers. Tagg includes extensive treatment of the political context that begat Lincoln's predicament, riding with the president to Washington, and walking with him through the bleak years of war and up to and beyond assassination. Throughout, Tagg entertains with a lively writing style, outstanding storytelling verve, and an unconventional, against-the-grain perspective that is sure to delight readers of all stripes.

Lincoln's humanity has been unintentionally trivialized by some historians and writers who have hidden away the real man in a patina of bronze. Once readers learn the truth of how others viewed him, they will better understand the man he was, and how history is better viewed through a long-distance lens than contemporaneously.

The bicentennial of Lincoln's birth will be celebrated in 2009 and will be the biggest year ever for public interest in Abraham Lincoln. The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission created and funded by Congress will "inform the public about the impact Abraham Lincoln had on the development of our nation." The year will also witness the release of Steven Spielberg's long-awaited movie on President Lincoln. Of all the Lincoln books slated for publication, The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln will be the "must-read" title for general readers and scholars alike.

About the Author: Born in Lincoln, Illinois, Larry Tagg graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. A bass player/singer of world renown, Larry co-founded and enjoyed substantial commercial success with "Bourgeois Tagg" in the mid-1980s. He went on to play bass for Todd Rundgren, Heart, Hall and Oates, and other acts. He currently teaches high school English and drama in Sacramento, California. Larry is the author of the bestselling book The Generals of Gettysburg, a selection of the Military Book Club.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Savas Beatie; First Edition edition (May 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932714618
• ISBN-13: 978-1932714616
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #857,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! This is a great book! May 1, 2009

By James W. Durney TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Our Abraham Lincoln is the Great Emancipator, the sure hand that guides America through the Civil War, struck down as we entered the promised land of peace. A wise and wonderful man of courage and strength, an eloquent voice that defines our better nature, a guide, a comfort in time of crises, and need. Our Abraham Lincoln "is a marble man, a mythic icon enshrined in a magnificent twenty-foot tall statue that looks down on visitors from beneath the dome of his Memorial, a Greek temple modeled after the Temple of Zeus."
The book's Abraham Lincoln is about seven feet tall, by today's height standards, topped with a shock of unruly black hair, clad in an ill-fitting suit, unattractive if not ugly, speaking in a high voice with a distant western twang. He is not socially adept, prone to bluntness and seems not to consider the feelings of his peers. The man in the middle, he is trying to hold things together while being attacked for going fast/slow in the right/wrong direction from all sides at the same time.
That both portraits are Abraham Lincoln and that the author can reconcile these different ideas shows what a well-written book this is. This was a slow and often difficult read for me. Not because the author did a poor job but because I had to reconcile my Lincoln to the actual man and the times. We have all read about the political and personal attacks on Lincoln during his presidency. We have read that the years after his death were much kinder to him than the years he was President. I know we do not understand how different these two eras are and how much the image of Lincoln has changed. This book is a major step in giving the reading public that understanding.
Larry Tagg gives us a short introduction covering Lincoln's nomination and election. Combined with a look at American life and politics in the years leading up to the election of 1860, we have a good foundation. The book concludes with an explanation of constructing the Lincoln of legend and how many factions found building the legend useful. In between is a very solid political history of Lincoln's administration, the negative reactions and personal attacks. Lincoln's election is not the result of personal popularity; he receives fewer votes than the loser in past elections, but the collapse of the national political parties. While not on Southern ballots, he is not popular in the Democratic strongholds of major Northern cites nor is he the choice of the Radical Republicans.
Negative reactions and comments start right after the election and never stop. The Baltimore Plot is just the first incident that provides the press with material. Once the war starts the democratic papers are largely silenced by the combination of patriotic mobs and government action. The author handles this story in a nonjudgmental tone avoiding any fiery rhetoric on this highly charged subject. This is one of the strongest points in the book, as the story has many sensitive subjects. Another well-written comprehensive section is the election of 1864; Lincoln's nomination, Chase and the role of the Radicals make an exciting mix. The author traces each of these in both the press and historically giving the reader a ringside seat on the double-dealings, back stabbings and ultimately Lincoln victory. This is well written, informative and enjoyable reading. In an excellent book, this was my favorite section.
Another excellent section of the book is the fight over slavery and emancipation within the Republican Party and Lincoln's Administration. This very strong writing will upset many people. Lincoln is the man in the middle, determined to keep the coalition of War Democrats, Border States, Republicans and Abolitionists focused of preserving the Union. The Radical Republicans and Abolitionists launch some of the harshest and most persistent attacks on him. This is an excellent history of not only the fight for emancipation but the start of Reconstruction politics too.
Another well-done area is the fight between an activist President and a Congress in the process of losing control to him. It is easy for us to miss how much power Lincoln took from Congress and how bitterly they resented this. That they were the same political party seems to have occurred to many rarely.
This is a wonderful and unique look at Lincoln's presidency. The book is full of information, thought provoking and readable. You may find that it is necessary to reread paragraphs to reconcile "our" Lincoln with the "real" Lincoln. I did and knew that I was really learning each time that happened.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Subversive Book July 6, 2009

By Brent T. Bourgeois

Format:Hardcover

I know what you're thinking: "Just what we need-another book on Abraham Lincoln." But there has never been a book on Lincoln like this one. For all those who think the politics of personal destruction started with Bill Clinton, Larry Tagg's "The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln" is a must read. It is an amazing look at how a man who is now considered on the very short list of greatest Americans was absolutely reviled, ridiculed, denigrated, and slandered during the entire life of his presidency. I kept reading this book thinking, "Well NOW they'll start to respect and appreciate him," only to find out that "now" didn't come until his funeral train left Washington for the ride home to Springfield. There is at least one recent occupant of the White House for whom this book is a godsend. George W. Bush can now replace Harry Truman with Abraham Lincoln as the man whose legacy he would most like his to imitate.

But reader beware: This book is unsettling at times. There is an almost heretical feeling reading about how much this American icon was hated. It doesn't go down easy. But it does make one feel a little better about the state of politics in our country today.

My favorite books are works of history that have the sweep and pacing of the finest novels. Larry Tagg has accomplished this, and I highly recommend "The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln" to anyone who enjoys this type of book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing how things don't change June 17, 2009

By Myles Goldfein

Format:Hardcover

This book is fascinating in how political, public discourse in the 1800s wasn't any kinder than it is now. Lincoln's term in put into historical perspective with explanations of what our country was like in the earlier decades of the 19th century. The writing's great and the book reads almost like a novel. Also some eye opening illustrations taken from periodicals of that time. one can't help making comparisons to our recent election and some of the images that drew so much publicity.