The Age of Lincoln

To transition into the Civil War era, I picked up a copy of The Age of Lincoln a few months ago, and I just finished it over the weekend. It took me a little while to read--I haven't been reading much lately, and there was a lot of pontificating in the book--but the book was a worthwhile read. It was a more a political history than a book about Lincoln, in some ways. And half of the book was dedicated to Reconstruction, after his assassination. Actually, I was most interested in this account, because the crimes committed against angry, racist white Southerners (Democrats) aren't discussed very much. It's forgotten history, in many respects. And to have so many gains followed by such a deprivation of rights is so tragic.

I'm moving now into Battle Cry of Freedom, with a side of Crisis and Command. I picked up the latter in wake of recent work-related protests. This review in the Washington Post is interesting, and seems pretty balanced. And I agree: a book on executive authority with no discuss of James K. Polk! I don't get that AT ALL!