A. Lincoln, the Crucible of Congress by Paul Findley (1979)

A. Lincoln, the Crucible of Congress
by Paul Findley, Congressman from Lincoln's District
Lavishly Illustrated with Dozens of Unpublished Photographs and Illustrations
Publisher: Crown Publishers, Inc.
Copyright: 1979

To the sophisticates, Washington seemed barbaric. Rutting hogs, wandering cows, and uncooped chickens milled about the streets. A few unpretentious structures stood out, but the rest were sprawling huts. But to a Western rustic just elected to Congress, it was a dream come true.

Abraham Lincoln came out of the backwoods, gangling and awkward, but determined to make his mark. Unknown, untried, and untested, he plunged immediately into the seething cauldron of national partisan politics.

Lincoln grew enormously in stature during two tumultuous years in Congress. Two profoundly divisive issues seared the legislature: the controversial war and the morally wrenching slave problem. The character of this unpretentious man from Illinois would be tempered by these flames. More modest matters also demanded attention: the humdrum of postal rates, petty claims, and constituent service.

These all but forgotten years are the ones that set Lincoln on the path to the White House.

For over half a century, Lincoln's congressional career has been summarily dismissed as "dues paid" to a petty political hack who alienated his constituency and committed political suicide. Only a sudden swerving to the politics of morality, most recent historians contend, lifted Lincoln and transformed him into the towering figure who could cope with the Civil War and free the slaves.

But that too raises difficult questions. Could the man who staunchly opposed the Mexican War be the same man who only a few years later led the nation through its bloodiest battles? Why did the Congressman who defended slavery in the South become the President to deal slavery a death blow everywhere?

Congressman Paul Findley speaks to these questions and shows that Lincoln's term in Congress has been buried in undeserved oblivion.

In this significant new contribution to Lincoln literature, the newspaperman-turned-Congressman re-creates those two forgotten years that indelibly shaped the course of our history. And he does it with the informed intuition that only a Congressman can bring to another Congressman's career.

Paul Findley represents much of the same area of Illinois that Abraham Lincoln represented in Congress over a century ago. A life-long student of Lincoln, Findley has worked to perpetuate the Lincoln heritage nationwide, authoring legislation to develop and protect Lincoln's home in Springfield. An esteemed Congressman whose own conscience has been inspired by his predecessor's courage, Paul Findley brings unparalleled insight to Lincoln's congressional career, an insight that combines with years of research to turn the tables on historians of the Great Emancipator.

Condition: Used. Hardcover. Dust cover is lightly discolored and shows shelf wear. Pages are tanning from age. Previous owner's "Library Of" stamp is on the front endpaper.

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